Friendship or Love?
by Mage of Hope
Summary: Takes place in the games and the DLC costumes! A series of oneshots/drabbles with our favorite, flirtious mercenary and timid doctor, only this time, Jude's a girl! Any ideas or suggestions can go straight in the reviews! Fem Jude x Alvin! Enjoy! Rating may change to M soon! Chapter 37 up!
1. NOTE!

**Hi, folks! This isn't a chapter, but an announcement, actually. I just wanted to tell you that this fanfic is obviously Fem Jude x Alvin, since Jude does act like a girl most of the time in the game, plus there were some...interesting scenes with him and Alvin.**

**So, I'm asking any reviewers to please post ideas in the review. Like, any kinds of ideas that relate to Fem Jude x Alvin, because it's cute and funny, and I'll even give the reviewer credit for the idea. In addition, I might turn this fanfic into Rated M possibly. But this story isn't going to be a full walkthrough of the game, just oneshots or something like that.**

**Other than that, have a nice day!**


	2. Meeting One Another

**Alright, I think I got some ideas for now! Anyways, here goes! By the way, thanks Guests and Kagehime-sama53 for helping me out!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

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**BOOM! **A fireball was shot towards Jude and Milla, who dodged in time. All other bystanders screamed and ran for it as soon as the explosion was heard. Milla and Jude had met near the facility which they broke in, thus making themselves criminals.

Milla happened to be the Lord of Spirits, Maxwell, and a powerful wielder of artes. But due to an unfortunate accident, she lost the Four and was forced to resort to being a weak sword fighter who had no knowledge of sword fighting whatsoever. She had long beautiful blond hair with a few green streaks in her hair, magenta colored eyes, and an attractive and curvy body that would make most females jealous.

Jude wasn't considered that beautiful, but a lot of boys would think of her as cute and adorable if they saw her. She had medium long black hair tied in two low ponytails at the base of her neck, bright golden eyes, wearing a black and blue uniform, and padded gloves. She had joined Milla after discovering she was sneaking in the facility and felt the urge to help her, and that lead them to the current situation they were facing.

They were facing against a bunch of Rashugal soldiers who had deemed them as criminals.

Milla noticed the ship in the docks was leaving, and knew she had to make her decision. "This is goodbye, Jude. Forgive me for all of this." She turned around and fled as fast as she could to catch up to the ship.

"Think your next move over carefully, doc," spoke one of the soldiers. "The more trouble you give us, the harder your sentence."

"It's just that...I wanted to..." Jude closed her eyes and took a deep breath before letting it out. She winched and didn't budge where she was. Maybe she should give up, since after all, there was three very skilled trained soldiers, and she would be no match for them.

Just then, she heard a couple of cries and thud, confusing her even though she was closing her eyes, "Well, aren't these military types brave, protecting the world from pipsqueaks like you," spoke a strange, unfamiliar voice.

Jude slowly opened her eyes and saw a tall and an older man in front of her. He was attractive, with spiky brown hair, dark brown eyes, and looked to be about in his late teens or somewhere in his 20s. He was wearing a large, thick brown coat, a black scarf, and brown gloves.

"Wh-who are you?"

"Save the chit-chat for later. Your lovely lady friend's about to set sail, you know."

Jude turned and saw the ship slowly moving, then turned back to the man. "But wait, I-"

"Listen close, kid," said the man, placing a hand on her shoulder. "The military issued your warrant, and with the Military Powers Act invoked, you're an X-marked criminal. If they catch you, you'll face execution!"

"What?! Execution?!" Before Jude could question anymore on the matter, both her and the man saw other Rashugal reinforcements running their way, forcing the both of them to run to the docks as fast as they could.

"C'mon!" With a small grunt, the man held Jude's waist closer to his body and picked her up under his armpit, dangling her from the ground as he leaped up as high as he could.

"Aah!" Jude let out a cry of surprise as soon as the man planted his two feet onto the large crates and ran across them.

"Hope you're sturdier than you look!" With one last grunt, Alvin jumped off the crates, landed on a steel bar that was dangling in the air by a large machine, ran across that, and jumped off and crashed into the ship.

**CRASH! **Lots of sailors working nearby fell to the deck after that huge crash and received many minor injuries. Many groaned in pain as they slowly began to stand up.

The captain rushed towards the scene and demanded with concern, "What happened here?"

"The military's going drills or something on shore," answered Alvin, standing up and stretching his aching back. "We were just getting out of their way."

_''Getting out of their way?!' More like, getting out of there!' _thought Jude, still sitting on the ground and rubbing her head from the crash.

"Come on! Do you really think a pipsqueak, a pretty girl, and a dashing man like me would be up to no good?" asked Alvin with a cheeky grin. As soon as most of the sailors left for their duties, Alvin turned to Jude and offered his hand. "Here."

Jude gratefully took his hand and let him help her up. "Thank you, um..."

"It's Alvin."

"Huh?"

"It's my name," repeated Alvin. "You said that you're Jude, right?"

"Uh, yes sir. And this is Milla," said Jude, pointing to Milla who was nearby and walking towards them. Milla nodded and stared off into the distance, which happened to be the long, pale dark sea.

Jude turned and sighed, a bit sadden by what had just happened. One day, she was just a normal, everyday medical student, and the next, she happened to be a criminal with a beautiful lady and an attractive, handsome-wait what?!

"I'm going this way!" stutted Jude, running off with a bit of a blush in her face. Alvin sighed, having a bit pity for the younger girl who's now an X-marked criminal, and a cute one at that.

"Hang in there, kid..."

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_Later... _

After meeting and conversing with the captain, both Milla and Alvin looked a bit tired out. "The captain needs to lay off a bit," complained Alvin. "Is he still planning to grill us the entire voyage?"

"What did you expect? We don't have any sort of identification," replied Milla calmly.

"Speak for yourselves," argued Alvin before both stopped to see Jude, staring off into the sea and still not believing everything that was happening.

"I can't believe we're going to Auj Oule," commented Jude, shaking her head in disbelief.

Alvin walked up to her and pointed to the sky. "Look, we're leaving Fenmont's spirit clime. Soon, a flash appeared for an instant in the sky and was replaced by the bright, blue skies that normally happen in a sunny day.

"Wow..." gasped Jude, a bit amazed by what just happened.

"You said you're a med student? Didn't expect that," interrupted Alvin, being a bit laid back.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" asked Jude curiously. "Why did you save us? What's in it for you?"

"Well, cash, of course."

Milla crossed her arms, frowning. "How does saving us earn you money?"

"Simple. I figure you must be in serious trouble if the military's after you. Now that I've swung to your rescue and impressed you with my derring-do, I can charge you for my services."

"Charge us what? I'm nearly broke," said Jude.

Milla raised her hand. "Same here."

"Seriously? I take more than cash, of course. Don't you have any precious metals? Jewels? Rich relatives about to croak?"

"Nothing on me. Everything happened so fast," sighed Jude.

"I doubt I have anything that would sell for a high price," agreed Milla, thoughfully.

Jude turned to Alvin. "What exactly do you do, Alvin? You look like a soldier, but you don't exactly act like one."

Alvin chuckled. "You're on the right track, kid. I'm a mercenary. It's better than being a soldier. We don't have to follow orders. We set our own hours. And we help people...for a price."

"Would, it would seem you helped us for free," assumed Milla.

"Ah well," said Alvin, shrugging. "It's a risk of the trade. Maybe I'll find some paying customers in Auj Oule."

"...Sorry about that," apologized Jude, who only received a short nod from the mercenary.

Alvin sighed and stared down the sea, still not getting over the fact that he just saved two ladies for free and without payment. "Charity work...great. Are we there yet? ...Oh wait! Maybe there is a way you can repay me! Maybe...a bit of a cruise around the next town if you get what I'm saying."

Milla seemed a bit confused then said, "I am not sure what you are implying, but I will make sure to pay you in Nia Khera." With that said, Milla turned and walked away somewhere for a walk.

Alvin sweatdropped and kneeled down to Jude's level, who was staring at him curiously with that bright golden eyes of hers. "Er...how about you, Jude? Care for a bit of...cruising around?" Just to add a bit of a charm, he winked at her.

Jude blinked and looked confused. "Uh...no idea what you're talking, Alvin. Sorry."

Alvin's jaw dropped as he watched Jude walk away. _'I was hinting for a date! Man, are girls really dense these days?!' _

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**Hahaha! Poor Alvin! I decided to make Jude a bit more innocent and cuter than her male counterpart, so if you have any ideas or suggestions, please post them in the reviews!**


	3. Camping

**Nice! I got a couple of reviews which included some new ideas and I'm ready to start the new chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

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The Kijara Seafalls. An amazing place surrounded by small and big waterfalls, ponds, lakes, rivers, any source of water and the perfect place to practice water spirit artes. However, the trio weren't here to admire the view.

Since they arrived here, it was late in the afternoon, and Jude, Milla, and their new recent companion, Alvin, had now entered the Kijara Seafalls and decided to set up camp near some streams. By the time they set up the tents, it was already beginning for the sunset.

"I'll go collect some food this time," offered Milla, getting up and taking the scabbard of her sword with her as she went into the small woods. That meant that she left both Jude and Alvin alone to do the campfire.

After setting up the campfire, which didn't take too long, both Alvin and Jude sat down near the fire. "So...what do you want to talk about?" asked Jude.

Alvin smirked. They just met like 2 weeks ago and already, he grew to like the kid. Heck, he even like teasing her and it was amusing to see her blush. Yet, she was kinda...dense and innocent about some things. Milla, he could understand, but Jude, she was just...too much innocent! Even the fact that they were sitting together wasn't bothering her!

"Dunno," said Alvin laying against a nearby wall. "Oh! How about we talk about...certain types of guys you like?"

"W-what?!" Jude began to blush pink and shook her head. "No way! Besides, that's resorted to girl talk only, and you're not a girl, unless you're disguising as a guy secretly."

_'Ow, wound to the pride,' _thought Alvin, winching at that comment. "Don't worry, I'm 100% male. Besides, girls talk to guys about...guy stuff all the time! They're like chatterboxes!"

"Well...I'm not like those sort of girls. If you want, you can talk to my friend Leia about that, if you ever meet her. She's a real chatterbox!"

Alvin had to admit, Jude was really good at avoiding these types of topics, and even without her knowing too! "Hmm...your friend, Leia. Let's talk about her."

"Can I ask why?" asked Jude, tilting her head to the side.

"Well, I mean, I'd like to meet her one day, and besides, we have nothing else to talk about."

"Okay," agreed Jude, standing up and thinking while walking around. "Well, she's nice, energetic, talkactive, and her family owns a restaurant. She's my best friend..."

"Uh...Jude?" Alvin noticed while Jude was walking and talking, she was unknowingly heading towards a stream.

"...And we grew up in Leronde, but she was always stronger than me in the staff..."

"Jude? Hello?"

"Also, we-"

"JUDE!"

"Huh?" Startled, Jude didn't noticed a rock behind her, but when she stumbled back, she tripped on it and fell into the water even when Alvin tried to grab at her.

"Jude! Are you okay?!" said Alvin, trying to search for her above the waters.

Jude immediantly sprang from the water and was frantically frailing her arms around, trying to grab to something solid. "HELP! HELP! I CAN'T SWIM! AAAH! HELP!"

"Jude-"

"AAAH! PLEASE HELP! I CAN'T SWIM!"

"Jude-!"

"AAAH! I'M GOING TO DROWN! HELP-!"

"JUDE!" yelled Alvin, loud enough for her to hear. "The water isn't even that deep!"

Jude glanced down and saw herself standing, the water level just above her waist. "Oh..." She pulled herself out of the water, completely drenched from head to toe.

Alvin let out a 'pfff' sound and started laughing. "Oh my God! You were hilarious! You didn't even know how deep that was!"

However, the mercenary heard small sounds of sniffles and sobs, causing him to stop laughing. Jude literally had tears falling from her eyes and down her cheeks as she tried to wipe them away while trying to put on a strong face, which was failing miserably.

Alvin's face fell and he felt bad at laughing at her. "Hey...I didn't mean to..."

Jude shook her head and rubbed her wet cheek with her hand. "It's fine...it was my fault for falling in the first place. Sorry."

That made Alvin more guilty, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw something that gave him an idea. He got up and walked over to the streams nearby before scooping up one of the cheery blossom flowers that were riding along the streams nearby. The reason the cheery blossoms were floating on the waters was because on top of the waterfalls were cherry blossom trees that constantly has its petals and flowers fall down and land on the streams.

"Hey, what are you...?" Before Jude could finish, Alvin placed the cherry blossom flower near her ear, making it look like an accessory.

"There, consider it my apology gift from me to you. I'm...not really good at this mushy stuff, so...sorry."

Jude nodded and wiped the rest of her tears away, grateful that Alvin thought that her red face was due to her crying when really, it was her blushing.

Then, Milla came back, wielding her sword which had a dead, bloody rappig impaled in it. "I'm back. So, how does one cook this?"

"..."

"..."

"Milla! You can't just-you can't just kill an animal like that!"

"Hmm? Why not, Jude? Is this not the result of hunting?"

"Ack, I did not want to see this. Excuse me ladies, while I go puke somewhere else."

"Gah! Alright, Milla, I'll cook the rappig, but-can you at least clean the blood?"

"Why, yes, of course. I don't see why you two are concerned over a bit of blood."

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**Hahaha, this chapter had me laughing a bit! If you have anymore ideas, it's welcomed!**


	4. Body Changes

**Yay! This fanfic's gone popular and in such a short time too! Thanks Kagehime-sama53 with your idea!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

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Alvin, Jude, and Milla was walking down the woods somewhere in the afternoon, heading to their destination which would take a while to reach. But one day, Alvin decided to start with a conversation that soon became very interesting.

"So, why bother taking human form at all?" asked Alvin.

"Spirits are really just masses of mana. They can't ineract with the temporal world in that state," explained Milla. "For a spirit to take physical form, it needs a catalyst of a corresponding element. As an example, the fire spirit, Efreet, can take form as a blazing inferno."

"And as Maxwell, you can be any element, right?" wondered Jude.

"The human body contains all four elements, so it's the perfect catalyst for me to take a physical form."

"What would happen if you lost your catalyst?" asked Alvin.

"I would gather elements to make a new one. But I'd have to wait for it to grow up."

"Grow up? You mean, you start as a baby?" Jude said, surprised.

"It's time-consuming," admitted Milla, sighing. "But if you want to use a human form as a catalyst, you have to wait for the body to develop."

"Let's just be grateful she didn't go with the male model, eh?" said Alvin, a bit relieved.

Jude shrugged. "Wouldn't bother me."

"Oh? You swing both ways?" teased Alvin, placing an arm around her shoulders.

Jude blushed at what he said and his contact with her. "W-what?! No! That's not what I meant! I'm perfectly straight!"

Alvin chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Come now, I was only joking."

"Hmm...you know, recently, I've been making observations of you two," admitted Milla, thinking hard. "And I could only think of a few reasons why after seeing you two contact with each other."

"Uh...contact with us how?" asked Jude.

"Why, the way you are right now. Alvin's right arm is around your shoulders. That got me curious, then I remembered one of the books I read before, which happened to be, 'Interactions with Men and Women.'"

"Just where and when did you get these kinds of books?!" exclaimed Jude, turning more red in the face.

Alvin grinned, now curious about this sort of conversation. "Oh? Do go on, oh great Lord Maxwell."

Jude blushed more red and quickly shouted, "No, no! Don't! We're fine! I-MMPH! MMPH!" Before Jude could finish, Alvin covered her mouth with his hand, preventing her from speaking as she struggled to pull his hand off her mouth, but that only caused Alvin to hold onto her tightly.

"It's alright, Milla. Jude just had...something in her mouth. Continue."

"MMPH! MMPH!' Jude's eyes widen and she shook her head, still struggling as her face turned more and more red.

Milla nodded. "Very well. Well, from what I can remember, the first reason is that the males perfer to have...some sort of sexual activity with the female."

Alvin didn't know what was more amusing, that the girl he was holding was turning more and more adorably red, or what Milla was telling him. Nah, probably both. "Yup, go on."

"Second, well, I suppose with either the male or female seduces one another for romantic interests."

Jude covered her eyes with her hands, knowing full well she couldn't pry off Alvin's strong grip on her mouth. The least she could do is try to hide her embarrassment, which only satisfied Alvin even more.

"Finally, I remember the book saying that if both male and female love each other with their affections, they tend to make love, althought I have no idea how to 'make love.'"

"Hmm...very interesting indeed," said Alvin, smirking as he turned to see Jude completely red in the face. Heck, even his hand over her mouth was warm due to the hot warmth of her red face.

As soon as Alvin released her, Jude whirled around with an annoyed and embarrassed look on her face. "A-Alvin! What gives?!"

"Just couldn't resist, kiddo. By the way, that red face looks real _hot_ on you."

"Sh-shut up!"

Milla was thinking carefully. "Although, humans do have multiple reasons for doing other activites, but-" Suddenly, her stomach growled, indicating she was hungry.

Jude got curious and turned to the lord of spirits. "By the way, Milla? Before you met me, have you ever eaten?"

"Not really. I drew all substance I needed from the Four."

"Oh..."

Alvin whispered to Jude, "Someone gotta tell her how humans defecate, and it's obviously not going to be me."

"O-okay...it's only natural, seeing I'm a girl and she's a girl."

"Yup! Go get them, kid!" cheered Alvin, patting her on the back. "Oh, and make sure you explain to her all about lingerie and underwear and the whole time of the month you girls usually have."

"Why do you even know this stuff?!"

"Hey, I'm a mercenary. That's why."

"That's not a good enough answer."

"You're not a good enough answer."

"That doesn't make sense!"

"You don't make sense."

"Gah!"

Milla pondered on something as she watched the time of them argue. "Hmm...I always wanted to see humans argue...so they converse in complete, pointless conversations involving themselves...interesting..."

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**Last chapter before I go to sleep! Read and review!**


	5. Secrets

**So, I totally made up this one after watching a skit between Jude and Alvin!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

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Milla and her two friends arrived in Hamil for who knows how many times, and were deciding to rest there until tommorow. Meanwhile, Milla was checking out a bookstore and Alvin and Jude were eating ice cream and standing near some fences.

"So, what was in that letter you wrote down and gave to the pigeon?" asked Jude.

"That's..a secret for grown ups," replied Alvin.

"It sounds like you're trying to hide something."

Alvin chuckled, finishing his ice cream. "Figured that out, did you? Do you want to ask what I was doing?"

"If you don't want to tell me, that's fine," pouted Jude, looking away.

"If it's fine with you, then I ain't tellin'."

"You don't want to tell me?" asked Jude, a bit of sorrow in her tone.

"You don't want to ask?" teased Alvin.

"I'm starting to think I rather not know."

"I'm starting to think you're probably right." Alvin noticed a bit of ice cream on Jude's cheek as she finished up the rest of her ice cream. Grinning, Alvin leaned in close and licked the ice cream clean from Jude's cheek with his wet, hot tongue before pulling back. Even Jude could feel his warm breath on his cheek for a second.

Jude rubbed her cheek with a red face. "W-what was that for?!"

"You had some ice cream on your cheek, so I decided to clean it off."

"Y-you could have just used a napkin!"

"Ah, but I could be wasting paper on such a little spot on a young lady's cheek."

Jude looked away, completely red now. "T-thank you...But you still could have used a napkin or told me so I could wipe it off!"

"Oh well, too late to change that now," said Alvin, winking at her. "I'm just the lying, trickster type that can't be trusted, huh?"

"Actually, I trust you," spoke Jude honestly.

Alvin blinked, surprised. "Really? Why?"

"Well, because you're a reliable guy, both from battle and out of battle, I guess. I can rely on you anytime whenever I'm in a pitch, like when we first met."

The mercenary smiled fondly, happy that he was reliable. "Is that so?"

Jude nodded and looked timid all of a sudden, twidlling her fingers. "That, and...well, another reason..."

Alvin, who was curious and interested, holds his chin flirtatiously. "It's alright, don't be shy. You can say it, especially to me."

"Well...okay! Alvin...you're so hilarious, you might even become a good comedian one day!"

Alvin's face fell and his shoulders slumped, a big block of depression hitting him over the head. "Er...yeah...Thanks, kid."

"You're welcome, Alvin!" chirped Jude cheerfully, not knowing that she probably made Alvin upset.

Alvin thought, _'Ah man! Well, at least she isn't exactly interested in me. I don't want to make her too sad when it's time to betray her and Milla...' _

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**Whew! Alright, any ideas, people? Read and review!**


	6. Bondage

**Geez, this is like one of the most awkward conversations in the game! Well, I don't exactly have the game, but still. Thanks, Kagehime-sama53 for helping me get the idea for this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

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"Fangs of ice, come forth! Freeze Lancer!" Chanting a spirit arte, Milla summoned lances made of ice which landed on several monsters, killing them or just trapping them within the lances.

Jude and Alvin, who had finished their portion of monsters in the area, watched as Milla freeze the monsters and finish them off quickly. "Poor, poor, monsters," sighed Jude, having pity for them.

"You see the way Milla freezes those enemies in those tracks? I guess she really is into bondage," said Alvin, surprised.

"Oh, is that what the technique is called?" wondered Jude curiously. "I just assumed that Milla just traps her enemies, and while they're vulnerable, she finishes them off."

"Nope. But still, I thought I'd get more of a rise out of you than that."

"What do you mean? Ack, never mind."

"Hmm? What's the matter?"

"Nothing. Just tired of your lies and innuendos. Just give it up alright," complained Jude, a bit tired.

"Oh-ho! And now, I'm the one being tied down by your sadistic decrees," laughed Alvin, impressed. "Sorry, Jude. I'm not that into bondage play."

Milla, who had finished all of the monsters, arrived just in time to overhear their conversation. "But it is true that some people can only experience true intimacy when they're tied and bound."

"The conversation takes a surprising turn! Are you speaking from personal experience?"

"No. I read it in a book. It was called, 'Men and Women Beneath the Sheets.'"

"Wait, what?!" exclaimed Jude, shocked. 'What sorts of books have you been reading?!"

"There was a similar comment in 'The Aesthetics of Being the Catcher,' as well."

"Um...I'm not sure what that book is, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to read it, ever," stated Jude, blushing.

"Sounds like Milla's more into total freedom than tying anyone down," commented Alvin.

"Is it alright if I ask you two for a favor?" asked Milla.

"What is it?' wondered Jude.

"Can you two demonstrate to me how a male and female does bondage?"

"Wait, what?! Right now?! Here?! No way! Why?!"

"While it is true I have read such books, perhaps it would be better if I just see if for myself," explained Milla. "Don't worry. I won't think differently of you both if you cooperate. And I'll even give you instructions how to do so."

"Hmm..." Just for his amusement, Alvin asked, "Say that we do this. What's in it for us?"

"A-ALVIN?!"

"Hmm..." Milla wondered and then came up with something. "If you do so, I shall add double the money we owe you once we arrive to Nia Khera."

It took two seconds for Alvin to answer. "Sure."

"Wait, wait, wait! What about my opinion?!" cried out Jude, more and more embarrassed. "And wouldn't this be considered rape?!"

"What? We're just demonstrating something for miss Milla here," replied Alvin. "Besides, we're not doing...'that.' And if you help, I'll do a special discount for the money you owe me, just for you."

"I-I don't care about that! Eep!" Jude squeaked when Alvin placed a hand on her waist, making her shut up for the moment.

"Alright, what's the first step?" asked Alvin, glancing at Milla.

Milla, who was observing them, placed a hand on her chin and thought hard. "Hmm...well, I do remember both male and female have to lay down, with the male getting on top of the female. But, since we're in a forest, and it is getting late, I suppose the ground will have to do."

Alvin shrugged. "Okay." He scooped her up in his arms, causing her to yelp in surprise. Then, he carefully laid her down on the ground before crawling and getting on top of her.

_'Aaah! I don't care if I get a discount! I want to get out of here!' _thought Jude, blushing red before closing her eyes and trying to squirm out.

Milla snapped her fingers. "Oh yes, I remember something. If the female struggles, the male is allowed to hold her down and tie her hands with something. But, unfortunately, we don't have any rope, so I suppose we'll have to stop."

"Wait. I think my scarf might do just fine," said Alvin, taking off his scarf. He grabbed both of Jude's wrists together before pinning them against the ground above her head and swiftly and expertly tying them together with his scarf.

Jude tested her wrists to see if she could get them freed, but the scarf was too tight. "A-Alvin! Milla! This is so embarrassing!"

"Don't worry, kiddo. We're halfway there," assured Alvin, still on top of her. He had to admit, while she was laying down, she looked adorable, especially since she was looking vulnerable and red-faced.

"...That's just it," said Milla. "That's all there is to it."

'Wait, what? That's all? Now I know for a fact there's more!"

"Whew! Thank you!" sighed Jude in relief, still closing her eyes.

"No, I would remember if there was more, but nothing," replied Milla. "Still, thank you both for demonstrating for me. It was an interesting observation. As promised, I shall pay double for what you earn."

"It was a pleasure," said Alvin, straightening his scarf after untying Jude. _'Damn it! Oh well. It was fun until it lasted.' _

Jude was still red-faced as she started to stand up. Quickly, she said, "I-I'll go get the firewood!"

After watching her leave, Milla said, "I suppose I should go hunt for food. Alvin, will you go prepare the tent?"

"Huh? Sure."

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**Hey, I was trying not to make it rated M, alright? But, it was fun to write down, but sorry if it wasn't descriptive enough. Read and review!~**


	7. Doctor Mode

**I'm just having too much fun with this! Haha!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

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"ACHOO!" sneezed Alvin before sniffing his ruffy nose.

"Bless you," said Milla politely. "...Again."

"That's like the 10th time you sneezed in an hour! Are you sure you're alright?" asked Jude, concerned.

Alvin sighed, rubbing his sweaty forehead. Of course he wasn't alright! But, seeing how they were in the middle of nowhere and it was nearly nighttime, he decided to endure the headache he was constantly experiencing and his stuffy nose until they get to the next town.

"Yeah, I'm alright, ladies. It's probably just an allergy."

Jude walked up to Alvin, removed her gloves, and went up on her tip toes just to feel Alvin's forehead, which was hot and sweaty. "You're burning up!"

"Burning up? Maybe if I fire a water spirit arte at him, he'll cool down?" suggested Milla.

"No, no! I'm fine!" exclaimed Alvin, shaking his head.

"But you're sick! You need to rest!" cried out Jude, tugging on his scarf.

"No, I'm alright! Seriously! It's just a small fever, that's all!"

Jude walked up to Milla and whispered something to her, which she silently nodded afterwards. Alvin was confused, but it didn't take long to realize what their plan was as soon as they started to creep up to him and corner him.

"Uh...ladies? What are you-GAAAAHHH!"

* * *

_Later... _

"Is the rabbit stew ready yet, Jude?" asked Milla, waiting patiently near the fire.

"Just a little bit more, Milla," said Jude, cooking dinner that night.

"Hey! Untie me! I didn't do anything wrong!" complained Alvin, trying to get out of his ropes. Apparently, Milla and Jude tackled him to the ground and tied him up with some rope so he wouldn't resist, explaining why he was squirmed around in the ground. He was also complaining in the last hour.

"Quiet, Alvin. Jude has given me special permission to punish you if you don't behave like a little boy," ordered Milla firmly, taking out her scabbard with had the sword inside. "And I have read '101 Ways to Punish Someone,' indicating I have 101 ways to punish you. 50 ways with the sword, of course."

"It's done!" called Jude, picking up a bowl of stew and walking towards Jude. She helped him sit up and scooped up a spoonful of stew. "Here, I'll feed it to you."

"I'm a grown adult! I can feed myself!" said Alvin, acting a bit childish. "Just untie me, and-"

Suddenly, the sound of a sword being unsheath from a scabbard was heard, and Alvin turned and saw Milla glaring at him with a very, _dangerous _look on her face. "...Right, I'll shut up now."

After Jude fed him dinner, she got out a cup of water and placed a pill in. "I put in a cough pill in, so you should feel a lot better tommorow."

"Thanks."

After everyone went to sleep, Alvin slowly opened his eyes and went to work. He got out a dagger hidden in his boot and used it to slash the ropes open, thus freeing him. He then picked up a spider crawling around, and walked towards Jude. His plan was to scare Jude, and once she was awake, he would pretend to be asleep as use the ropes as blankets to make it look like he was still tied up. Yes, the perfect revenge! Only, he didn't know what to do with Milla.

Just as he was going to creep up to Jude, he noticed her slightly shivering, due to the night being cold. He could even see her breath as she was shivering and felt instantly bad. Here, he was about to do something to her, but she was too cold to take a joke.

Instead, he laid down right next to her and brought her waist close to his chest, bringing her warmth to her body and making her sleep peacefully. Alvin fell asleep soon after and knew he was going to be better the next day.

* * *

_The next morning... _

"EEEEKKKK!"

"No wait, Jude! There's a good expla-"

"What's going on here? Alvin, how did you get out of your bounds?"

"Well, you see-"

"Jude? What would you like me to do to Alvin?"

"I-I don't care!"

"Wait a minute! I can-"

"Aqua Laser!"

"GAAAAHH!"

* * *

**Hilarious right? Some good ideas might be good!**


	8. Ivar

**Alright, alright! Since some of you wanted to see what would happen if Jude met Ivar, here it is! Oh, and to make it a bit interesting, I changed the way where they would meet!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

Jude expected Nia Khera to be...much more spirited and happy and full of laughing and cheerful children. But, since she came to Nia Khera, everything was so...quiet and tranquil, as if the small village never existed, but really did.

The people there were so kind, and so respectful of Milla, and the sight of nature everywhere was so... the children were mature and polite whenever Milla walked past them, stopping their games and bowing respectfully at her appearance.

"The people seem to love you a lot, Milla," replied Jude, talking to her friend. Alvin had gone and talked to some of the villagers, getting paid for his hard deeds of escorting both Jude and Milla in the village.

"Yes. Of course, it is expected in the presence of the Lord of Spirits."

"You make it sound like you're king-er, queen of this land."

"Yes, I suppose you're right."

"Lady Milla!" cried out a voice. Out of nowhere, a young man with long silver hair tied in a ponytail and wearing nomadic clothing appeared in front of Milla, kneeling in front of her. "You have returned! I was so worried about you!"

"Oh, hello, Ivar. I trust that you have tended to your duties?" asked Milla, unfazed.

"Whoa! Who is this, Milla?"

"Hey, peasant! It's Lady Milla! You shall address her so!" shouted Ivar, pointing his finger at Jude.

"S-sorry! Who is this, _lady _Milla?"

"That's better!"

"It's alright, Jude. You don't have to address me so," assured Milla. "This is Ivar, my handmaid. Ivar, this is Jude, one of my companions that helped me come here. She's also helped protected and aided me when I needed it the most."

"Oh, it was nothing," said Jude, rubbing the back of her head, embarrassed.

"Hmph! It better not!" said Ivar, crossing his arms. "I will thank you just this once for bringing Lady Milla back safely, but only this once!"

"Um...you're welcome? I guess?"

"And remember one thing! I am Lady Milla's number 1 handmaid, and no one else! Only I can protect her properly, got it?"

"Sure," said Jude, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't even want to be a handmaid anyways."

"Good! Because I'm the only one capable of doing it! And here's a list of other things I can do for Lady Milla! For instance..."

Alvin had finally finished getting paid, happy that he was finally paid for his hard work. He was returning to Milla and Jude when he saw some sort of silver-haired man ranting on something like 'Lady Milla,' to Jude and Milla. Jude looked incredibly bored and slightly annoyed, and Milla seemed to be waiting patiently for Ivar to finish.

"...And doing laundry for Lady Milla, and fishing for Lady Milla-"

Jude sighed and couldn't take it anymore. She kicked him hard in the shin before running off. "I'm sorry!"

Ivar howled in pain and started running after Jude, half-hopping. "Ow! I'm gonna kill you for doing that to the number 1 handmaid in Nia Khera!"

Alvin walked up to Milla, who was watching the two running around the village. "So...you mind telling me what's going on?"

"Oh, Alvin. Well, Jude is constantly being chased by Ivar, my handmaid over there."

"Oh, that totally makes sense," said Alvin a bit sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Suddenly, Jude appeared right behind Alvin in a flash. "Hi, guys."

"Bwah!" Alvin whirled around to face the ex-medical student. "How'd you get behind me?!"

Milla chuckled. "So even a mercenary can get taken by surprise."

"How'd you do that little trick anyways?"

"Uh...Alvin? I always do this trick during battle, remember?" reminded Jude, a bit annoyed that Alvin had forgotten.

"By the way, where's Ivar?" asked Milla, curious.

"Oh, him? I managed to trick him, and now he's running around a tree. See?" Jude pointed to a tree not too far away, and Ivar was running around it, thinking he was chasing after Jude.

Alvin chuckled. "Impressive. Yet another dark, secret side of Jude we have yet to see. Well, I guess I could say I'm a bit scared of Jude right now."

"W-well, I only did it to get him off my trail!" said Jude, panicking. "I...I'm sorry if I scared you."

Alvin only ruffled her hair lightly. "Don't sweat it! I was just kidding! As if I could be scared of an cute honors student like you!"

"C-cute?!"

"At any rate, how long do you suppose Ivar will realize he's no longer chasing anyone?" asked Milla.

"Er...I'd give it an hour or so," replied Alvin.

* * *

**I know this was kinda short, but I think the next one will be cuter! Also, in this version, Ivar is a little bit nicer to Jude, probably because he's really a she, but also because she saved Milla and protected her. Read and review!**


	9. Fever

**Well, this chapter's gonna be amusing!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

Ever since Elize was recruited to the group, she's been very polite and shy to everyone, a lot like Jude. She and Jude especially got along great, and Elize even thought of Jude as her big sister, or maybe a bit of a mother, despite their 3 year gap. Of course, whenever Jude gets teased constantly by Alvin, Elize would always defend her and sometimes kick Alvin in the shin, like she did just now.

"GAAAHH! Why you little-!"

"Run away, Elly!"

"Okay, Teepo!"

"I'm gonna get you two if it's the last thing I do-!"

Also, the one named Teepo was a floating, talking stuffed animal that was always by Elize's side. Milla found him amusing and interesting while Alvin found him slightly more annoying than Elize since whenever he's seen with the stuffed animal, he's always chasing him or Teepo was chomping on his face.

One day, Elize got sick and had a high fever, being placed in a bed in the inn room. Jude had already given her medicine and placed a towel on top of her forehead with a bag of ice on top to cool her fever down.

"Jude...is that you?" whispered Elize, breathing lightly, staring at Jude with her red face.

"Yeah," said Jude, touching her hand and gripping it not too tightly. She wanted to do more for the child, but all she could do is just give her medicine and wait for the fever to cool down. It hurt her to see someone so innocent and young as Elize to be this way.

Milla had gone out to buy food and more medicine for Elize, while Alvin still stayed put and watched Jude take care of Elize. It bothered him that he couldn't do a thing to help, but he didn't like to see the expressions of Elize and Jude in this kind of situation.

Alvin cleared his throat to get Jude's attention. "Jude? You think I can uh...feed Elize dinner?"

Jude nodded. "Okay then." After cooking soup that night, Alvin tried his best to try and spoonfeed Elize, and he succeeded mostly, but some drops got stained in the sheets, making Jude clean it up. Afterwards, Teepo rewarded Alvin for his good work...by trying to gobble his head, which took a full half hour for Alvin to get him off.

When everyone was about to tuck in, Milla and Alvin offered to sleep in the ground, but Jude politely declined, saying it was alright. Actually, Alvin planned to sleep in the ground and tuck Jude into bed whether she liked it or not.

Once Milla and Alvin were tucked into bed, Jude was about to go to sleep too when she felt Elize's hand on her arm. "Wait...can you sing me a lullaby?"

"W-what?" Jude's face turned red in embarrassment. If they were alone, she could sing, but she was a little embarrassed and nervous when she had to sing in front of people, even when those two people happen to be asleep.

"Please...?"

Jude nodded. "Alright, but I'll keep it a bit quiet. Um..."

_Twinkle, twinkle, little star,_

_How I wonder what you are. _

_Up above the world so high,_

_Like a diamond in the sky._

_Twinkle, twinkle, little star,_

_How I wonder what you are. _

By the time Jude finished singing, Elize and Teepo were happily asleep, most likely starting to get a good night rest. Jude yawned and rubbed her eyes, obviously getting tired from the lullaby. Before she knew it, her head was on Elize's head, and she was fast asleep.

Alvin, who had been fully awake, got up and walked towards the sleeping Jude. He scooped up her sleeping form in his arms before gently placing him in the same bed as Milla. He admit, her singing was very good, and it would have been adorable, seeing her face if it weren't for the fact that her back was facing him the whole time. But he could tell she didn't want anyone else to know her singing.

He sighed and sat down on the same chair Jude was sitting in, watching over Elize. Now, he was sure it was his turn for night duty.

* * *

_The next morning... _

Jude yawned and stretched her arms, fully awake as she got up. Milla was already up and staring at something, confusing Jude. "Milla? What's-"

Alvin was sleeping near Elize, holding and protecting her close as the girl was also asleep. Jude smiled at the sight, happy to know that Alvin was protecting her all night.

"Hmm...I read about this before. If a man grabs hold of children, does that mean Alvin is a...pedophile?" wondered Milla.

"M-Milla! No! This is completely different!"

Elize yawned and woke up, fully recovered from that fever of hers when she saw Alvin hugging her close to his chest.

"KYAAAAAAA!"

"That's it! Alvin, you're gonna get it!"

"Huh? Wha-Teepo?! GAAAH!"

* * *

**And it was a lovely day for the group. Read and review!**


	10. Dreams

**And this chapter, if the other chapters didn't, will begin Alvin's crush on Judie!~ Got this idea from a manga I read long ago!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

_Light. That's what Alvin felt when he opened his eyes, seeing nothing but whiteness around him, like he was floating in mid-air. His body felt weak, but no injuries were felt or shown, meaning he was okay. In fact, he was warm, but he didn't have his brown coat on like usual._

_"Alvin..." A young girl appeared in front of him, and although his eyes were now a bit hazy, Alvin could tell she was wearing a long white nightgown. Before he knew it, she placed her head in his chest, hugging his waist._

_Alvin instantly knew she was beautiful, despite the fact that he couldn't tell what she looked like. He caught strands of black hair, indicating the girl was black-haired, but that was it. He hugged her close as he sniffed her hair to catch the fresh scent of strawberry and cream mixed together._

_Pulling a bit back, Alvin couldn't help but let his lust overcome him, making him kiss the girl in front of him in her soft, pink lips. He started kissing her, once, twice, more than that. In fact, he's started kissing her so many times, he's lost count._

_When he finally stop for breath, he gazed into the girl's golden eyes, wondering if he had seen them before, He snaked his arms around her waist and started to lean down for another kiss... _

* * *

Alvin groaned when he started to wake up, still a bit dazed from his dream. He stretched his arms and sat up, rubbing one of his eyes as he sat in the bed he slept in. He vaguely remembered that before his dream, he and the rest of the group were staying at Driselle's mansion.

"Man...that felt real...but I felt like I met her before, and she was really beautiful," groaned Alvin, scratching his head as he tried to stay awake. "And if it was a dream, couldn't I be in a more steamy situation?"

Then, Alvin heard the door knocking and yawned, opening it to reveal Jude. The best part? She looked exactly like the girl who was in his dreams, only, the girl in his dreams was a bit more older.

"Alvin? Breakfast is ready, and everyone's ready to eat," announced Jude as Alvin stared at her. "I came to pick you up because you were late."

"A-ah...sure. I'll be down in a second. Just need to do something."

Jude nodded. "Sure. We'll be waiting." As soon as Jude left, Alvin slowly closed the door behind him.

_'EEEEEHHHHHHH?!' _Came into Alvin's mind as he started ruffling his head in confusion and frustration. How could he not realize that the girl in his dreams was...was Jude?! That's...actually possible, but still!

Alvin covered his mouth in embarrassment, his heart was beating fast, his entire face flushed red as he started to think back on all the memories he had with that one single, unforgettable dream. It's just...he didn't think it was possible, but deep down, he might have had a crush on Jude, considering that he was always flirting and teasing her all the time.

"Alvin?" called out Rowen's voice from the other side of the door. "Are you there?"

Alvin quickly grabbed his coat and opened the door. "Yeah, I'm here. Say, can I ask you a question?"

"What is it?"

"Well...what if you had a dream about a girl, someone you never met, but then you...loved her instantly?"

"Hmm...surely you, a master of flirting, should know this stuff?" wondered Rowen, teasing him a bit.

Alvin sighed, placing a gloved palm on his face. "Seriously, Rowen. I just don't know what to do..."

"Well, in my case, I'd go find the girl, and try to make friends with her. If our relationship deepens, of course, I would love her and ask marriage, if she feels the same way."

"Love, huh...?"

"By any chance, is it Jude?"

Alvin's face turned pink when the old man mentioned her name, bringing memories of his dream back. "N-no! It was just...some hot chick! Yeah!"

Rowen chuckled. "Just because I'm old doesn't mean I'm dumb. Just at least try not to break her heart. If you do, I shall stab your manhood with my rapier." Both Alvin and Rowen started laughing, until the mercenary let the words flow in.

"WAIT, WHAT?!"

"I said, if you do break Jude's heart, I shall stab your manhood with my rapier."

"...I think I'm going to go eat breakfast now!' said Alvin, quickly running down the stairs.

Rowen chuckled even more. "Smart move."

* * *

**Will Alvin admit his love? Will Rowen do what he will do? Read and review!**


	11. Leia

**Alright! Time for the introduction of Leia Rolando! Thanks jmspikey for giving me this idea!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," started Jude. "You ran away from home, snuck into a ship without paying, hid inside a barrel, and followed me around just because you wanted to hang out with me?"

"_And_ protect you!" finished Leia. "After all, I can't just stay at home, constantly worrying about you when there are so many bad people out there! And they might even take advantage of you!"

"I've got Milla and the others to protect me! Besides, I can protect myself, you know! Master Sonia did train us, remember?"

"I don't mean just physically, either!"

Jude tilted her head, confused. "I don't know what else you mean. When you said that other people might take advantage of me, I thought you meant only for battle."

"ARRRRGHHH! You are so cute and oblivious sometimes, Jude!"

"So, you ladies finished chatting?" asked Alvin, walking towards them with his hands fished in his pockets. "We could hear you all the way from the other room. You two sure are noisy."

"Oh! Sorry, Alvin," apologized Jude.

"Nah, it's alright, Jude!" assured Alvin, placing an arm around the girl, making her blush at the physical contact.

"Ahem! Can I talk to you for a sec?" asked Leia, launching herself onto Alvin's arm before leading him outside, leaving Jude confused.

"Whoa! A bit extreme to the point, eh? Confession time, I suppose?" joked Alvin, chuckling once they got out of their inn room and near an empty park.

Leia jabbed the end of her staff close to Alvin's neck, causing him to hold his hands up. "Alright, mister. I've got two things to point out. One, don't even try flirting with me, because if you do, well, I'll do the one thing I always do to boys with my staff!"

"What, poke them?"

Leia grinned sinisterly. "No, not exactly. I swing or jab it right in men's weakness. But I perfer the jabbing better."

Alvin took a moment to picture that and winched in pain, as if he was feeling it. "Ooh...Anything else?"

"Second, don't even think about hurting my best friend, Jude. EVER!" declared Leia. "You do that, you'll get more than jabbing. And what I mean is...THIS!"

She swung her staff at a tree as hard as she could, and with that attack, she clearly knocked down the tall tree, with mere consequences. After the tree was knocked down, a cat's screech could be heard, and a man cried out, "My leg!"

_'Ouch, wouldn't want to mess with her,' _thought Alvin.

"Er...yeah! You get the point!" said Leia, turning to him nervously. _'Oh man! I wanted him to know what I meant, but I didn't expect this to happen!' _"Anyways, don't mess with her!"

Alvin held up his hands. "Alright, alright! Jeez!"

"Good! Now I'm going shopping for a while!"

After watching Leia leave, Alvin walked back to their inn room, where Jude was studying and reading her medical books. He sighed and faced her before flicking her in the forehead not too hard.

"Ow! What was that for?"

Alvin waited for a moment, as if he was waiting for Leia, but nothing happened. "Hmm. Weird."

Meanwhile, while Leia was out shopping, she sensed something strange. "Huh, why do I have the strangest feeling Alvin hurt someone? Oh well."

* * *

**Jeez, with both Leia, Rowen, and possibly Teepo on his trail, who knows what misadventures Alvin might have if he hurt Jude? Oh wait, he already did. Any suggestions on what I should do next?**


	12. Nicknames

**Hope you guys are ready, because this time...is nicknames! Thanks, The Legend of Zelda Fangirl for helping me out!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

"So, honors student, whatcha cooking there?" asked Alvin, placing his arm around Jude's shoulders again.

"Just lunch. I can't tell you exactly what it is, er...Alvie."

Alvin raised an eyebrow. "'Alvie?'"

"Well, yeah...I mean, you always call me 'honors student,' so I thought it might be good to call you Alvie if you do that."

Elize and Teepo, who were nearby, also joined in the conversation. "Alvin's being called 'Alvie?' I wanna join in too!" said Teepo.

Alvin groaned. "Great. Now a stuffed animal is doing it too."

"Hey, if anyone's great at nicknames, it's me!" piped up Leia from behind Alvin.

"Gwah! Where'd you come from!"

"Anyways!" continued Leia, ignoring Alvin. "Elize can be 'Elly,' and I'm Leia the Slaya! ...And that's it."

"Wait, what about Rowen and Milla? And Jude?" asked Alvin.

"Oh, their names are fine. If I had to nickname Rowen, it'd probably be Row-Row, or Rowie. Yeah, not good. As for Milla...it'd probably be Mill-Mill."

"What the heck kinda name is Mill-Mill?" questioned Teepo.

"I know, right? As for Jude...well, she doesn't need a nickname."

"Hmm...Jude, can I talk to you for a second?" asked Alvin. Without waiting for an answer, Alvin grabbed Jude's arm and started dragging her away, accidentally making her drop the stew and thus causing a bit of a fire in the grass.

Leia tried to stop them. "Hold on, Al-"

"GAAAAH! IT'S BURNING! IT'S ON FIRE! I'M ON FIRE!"

"Teepo, wait!"

"NO WAY, ELLY! I'M ON FIRE! I'M ON-OOH! BAZONGAS!"

"Milla, look out!"

"Oh no...Hang on!" cried out Leia, running to stop the chaos that was happening in the small campfire.

As soon as they were a bit far, despite the huge noises happening at camp, Alvin stopped near a tree. "What did you want to talk to me about, Alvie?" asked Jude.

She suddenly yelped when Alvin snaked his hands around her waist, bringing her closer so he was close to her ear and could still smell the scent of flowers in her hair. "Just a bit of a warning. I'm not fond of the nickname, 'Alvie.' So, if you call me that again, I'll have to resort to..._Judie._"

Jude flushed pink and pushed Alvin away, not too hard. "Y-you idiot! I thought you were going to do something bad!"

Alvin chuckled. "Define 'bad.' Anyways, if you call me 'Alvie' again, then I'll call you back 'Judie.'"

"You're going to do that anyways even if I don't call you that!"

"Really? Try me."

Suddenly, the leaves above the tree near them rustled, and Leia jumped down right between them. "AHA!"

"Whoa! How'd you-?! Are you some kind of monkey?!" exclaimed Alvin, freaked out.

"No, but I am damn well a good acrobat! Anyways, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation!" said Leia, readying her staff. "You know why I'm called Leia the Slaya? Because I eliminate threats to both me and my best friend. And guess who I'm pointing the staff to?"

The end of the staff was pointed to between the mercenary's legs.

Alvin gulped.

"I'll give you a three second headstart."

And so he ran.

* * *

**I know Alvin was a bit OOC in this, but eventually, he'll improve!**


	13. Flowers

**Now, in this chapter, Alvin gets what he deserves after treating Judie so! Thanks Guest, for giving me an idea!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

"Come on, Jude!"

"..."

"It was just a dumb book!"

"..."

"Please say something...?"

"..."

While Milla and Leia had gone out for more training on their own and to pick up groceries on the way back, everyone else were free to do as they pleased. Rowen and Elize were hanging out when they saw Jude reading a book, but then Alvin came with his usual greeting, surprising Jude and making her drop her book in the river, ruining it.

Thus, that was why Jude was ignoring Alvin for the time being as she was organizing her stuff and moving back and forth with Alvin following her. She already forgave Alvin, but decided to get back at Alvin for teasing her by not talking to him for a few hours. And she could tell Alvin was _dying _to tease her.

"My, my. It is amusing to see Alvin so desperate," said Rowen, rubbing his chin as he, Elize, and Teepo watched everything.

"Maybe big mean ol' Alvin deserves it!" declared Teepo.

"Well, he does keep teasing Jude most of the time," said Elize. "Maybe Alvin's getting a taste of his own medicine?"

"If that is the case, then this is truly the greatest day of my life," sighed Rowen in relief. "I feel like I can rest in peace."

"Jude! Come on! Please?"

"..."

"I'll buy you chocolates or something!"

"..."

"Alright, that does it!" Having enough, Alvin grabbed Jude and hoisted her on her shoulder, earning a yelp from her.

"A-alvin! Put me down!"

"Oh, so you can talk. Think of it as punishment for not talking to me for the past 3 HOURS."

"P-people are staring! Put me down!"

"No can do, Judie."

Rowen got up and placed blindfolds on both Teepo and Elize. "Rowen? What are you doing?" asked Elize curiously.

"Do not worry. This won't long. Do not remove those blindfolds or earplugs, because I will," assured Rowen before placing earplugs on Elize's ears. He turned around and unsheathed his long, slender rapier. "Alvin? May we have a moment?"

* * *

_10 minutes later... _

When Elize and Teepo were finally removed of their blindfolds and earplugs, they saw Jude frantically healing Alvin, who was on the ground facedown, clutching his groin and groaning in pain. Also, they happened to see some blood seep out.

"What happened?!" exclaimed Elize.

"Oh, nothing in particular. Alvin fell down and crashed into a variety of sharp, point rapiers," replied Rowen.

"Really?" wondered Teepo. "I heard some slashing sounds and cries for help."

"Shouldn't we go help him?" wondered Elize.

"No need. The damage given to him was not permanent and not too deadly, so he should be alright," said Rowen.

"As if!" groaned Alvin lifting up his head. "You-GAH!"

Rowen quickly planted his foot on top of the mercenary's head, making him facedown on the ground again. "Now then, shall I treat you to some ice cream? I heard that there's this good ice cream place!"

"Ooh! Ice cream!" cheered Elize, taking Rowen's hand and allowing him to escort her and Teepo.

* * *

_Later, that night... _

Jude yawned, getting ready for bed when she noticed a note and a bouquet of red roses near her table. She picked up the bouquet, taking in the fresh scent before reading the note intended for her.

_Dear Jude,_

_Sprry about the whole ruining the book incident. I know that was a limited edition one, but I couldn't help but feel bad about it. I guess I kinda did deserve being ignored. Anyways, I got these roses for you as a way of saying I'm sorry. I'm not the mushy type of guy, and I know girls love flowers, so yeah._

_From, A Mercenary with a Heart of Gold~ _

Jude blushed pink after reading the note, happy and grateful that Alvin went through all this trouble. Maybe tommorow, she might cook his favorite dish as payment for his hard work.

* * *

**Whether or not Rowen stabbed Alvin right...there is up to you! Read and review!**


	14. Misunderstanding

**Haha! Now, I know a lot of you are going to have a LOT of ideas of what's going to happen next!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

Milla and the gang have rented two inn rooms for the night since the inn they were staying in was the only one in town and pretty small. While everyone did their own thing, Milla was walking down the hallways of the inn, walking past the room Alvin, Jude, and Elize were staying at before she heard strange sounds.

"A-Alvin..."

Milla stopped all of a sudden, hearing Jude's weak voice. Curious, she turned to the door that lead to Alvin, Jude, and Elize's room and placed her ear to the door so she could listen better.

"Alright, just a little bit tighter, that alright, Jude?"

"Yeah, just not so hard, alright? ...OW!"

"Ooh! Sorry about that! Guess I don't know my own strength, huh? Here we go!" grunted Alvin.

"N-not so fast!"

Had it been anyone else, they would be turning red in the face now. However, Milla, being oblivious, was getting more curious as she listened better, wondering what sort of activity Alvin and Jude were participating in.

"Uh...what are you doing, Milla?" asked Leia, who was standing up and behind Milla.

Milla motioned her to be quiet. "Hush, please! Jude and Alvin are doing some sort of human activity. I wonder if you can identify it."

Shrugging, Leia bent down and placed her ear near the door, trying to listen to what Alvin and Jude were saying so she could tell what they were doing.

"Is this good enough, Jude?"

"Yeah...it's good." Jude suddenly let out a small moan.

"Whoa, with the way you're acting, you're tempting me, if you know what I'm saying?"

"D-don't even joke about that!"

Leia quickly backed away from the door, completely red in the face. "Well? What are they doing?" wondered Milla, a confused look on her face.

"W-well, it's human activity alright! J-just stay put and be quiet!" Leia pressed her ear against the door even more.

"OW! Alvin!"

"Sorry, sorry! I'm just not used to this sort of thing."

"But you'll improve, I gues-OW! How about we switch then?"

Leia coughed, her face flushing more and more deep red. When she heard shuffling sounds and the sound of bed sheets being tossed away, her mind had confirmed what was going on. Just why would Jude and Alvin do this?!

Just then, Rowen came along. "May I ask what's going-"

"SHHHH!" hissed both Milla and Leia, pointing to the door. Milla wanted to hear more what was going on, and Leia only wanted to hear in case she needed to step in and kick Alvin's butt.

Rowen got in the same position as them and pressed his ear against the door. However, he did not expect to hear such...sounds.

"Ooh...Jude, you do this way better than I do."

"T-thanks. But yours is a bit rougher and tough."

"My...what are they up to?!" hissed Rowen.

"SSSSHHH!"

"Heh, say things like that and people are gonna get the wrong idea, Judie."

"Stop calling me that!"

"I can't help it! It makes you look cute. Plus, you have such soft hands."

"What does that have to do with anything?!"

"I don't see why the two of you are blushing," stated Milla, glancing at Leia and Rowen's red faces. "Is it natural for human's faces to turn red when they heard noises?"

"No, Milla. It's something different," sighed Leia.

"Ah! I feel refreshed now! Thanks, Jude! You wanna give it a go, Elize?"

"Sure!"

Leia and Rowen's jaws dropped when they heard this. That was the final straw. They may be too late to save Jude, but there was no way they would fail to save a little girl such as Elize!

Milla noticed Leia and Rowen getting out their weapons and stepped back. "What in the world are the two of you-"

"CHARRRRGGGGEEE!" **BAM! **Both of them kicked down the door and jumped into the room, armed with weapons before they put them down for a few reasons.

One, the room was completely clean save for Alvin's brown coat on his bed.

Two, there were no particular or weird smells in the room.

Three, Elize was sitting on top of another bed, perfectly fine and hugging Teepo.

Most importantly, three, Alvin and Jude were sitting on another bed, completely clothed. Alvin was having his shoulders massaged by Jude who had her delicate hands on his shoulders.

"Uh...what's going on?" wondered Leia.

"Why'd you break down the door?!" exclaimed Jude.

Alvin smirked, figuring out what was going on. "Oh, I see. Jude, why don't we show the audience what we were doing."

"No, no! That won't be neccessary!" stuttered Rowen quickly. "But what were you two doing?"

"Giving massages," said Jude.

"Then why is Alvin's coat there?" demanded Leia, pointing to it.

"I wanted to take off my coat. What? Is there a law saying I can't?" wondered Alvin.

"Alvin was going to give me a massage too," said Elize.

"...Let's just go..." said Leia before she and Rowen left, dumbfounded.

Milla was the only one of the trio who didn't leave, still confused. "I don't quite understand. Why were those two upset?"

* * *

**Haha! Unfortunately, if this was a lemon chapter, you would have noticed it in the Rated M genre. Read and review!**


	15. Little Blue Riding Hood

**Well, I'm totally out of personal life ideas for now, but in this chapter, it's going to be something sweeter and cuter!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

Once upon a time, there was a very young, but adorable girl that was very kind, shy, and loved by all her friends and families. Her grandfather, Grandpa Rowen, made her a cloak made of blue velvet, which suited her so well that she was then dubbed, "Little Blue Riding Hood." But, in short, Blue.

One day, her caretaker, Milla, came to her and said, "Blue, I want you to take this basket full of sweets to your grandfather. He is ill and weak, but these healthy sweets will help him. Just travel down to your grandfather's home and don't get lost, alright?"

Blue nodded. "Yes, Milla! Thank you!" Taking the small basket full of sweets, the girl clothed in blue set out to help out her grandfather. Deciding that she would get bored, she decided to start singing a lovely tune to herself.

Meanwhile, a rather handsome and attractive wolf named Alvin was wandering around in the forest when he heard a young maiden singing. Creeping up behind a tree, Alvin saw the young and adorable Blue walking down a path, singing herself a song that would attract a lot of attention to her.

Interested in the girl, he leaped out of the tree he was hiding in and showed himself. "Hey, Blue. What's up?"

Blue adorably smiled at him, being the polite honors-er, girl that she is. "I'm fine. Thank you. I was about to deliver these sweets to Grandpa Rowen. Would you like to join me?"

The sweets were the second thing in his mind as Alvin tossed his arm around her shoulders, bringing her close. "Oh, I'll join you in anything. Even..._Dessert._"

Blue, being the oblivious girl, was confused at his sudden change of tone at the end. "Um...okay! But, wait...Grandpa Rowen won't allow me to bring in any guy friends in. He's a bit overprotective for my health better than his. He's a kind Grandpa!"

_'Drats!' _thought Alvin. He smiled fondly at her and offered, "How about gathering some flowers? I'm sure your Grandpa will enjoy those. I have an...errand to do. See you!"

"Okay! Bye, Alvin!" called Blue, waving to him before running to the huge field of flowers to create a bouquet for him.

Alvin chuckled, knowing how Blue was gullible and too naive to see he was lying before heading towards Rowen's home, which wasn't too far from here. When he got at the front door, he knocked first, pretending to be Blue.

"Yes? *cough* Who is it?" called out Rowen's voice from inside, his voice indicating he was indeed sick.

Alvin tried to make his voice high-pitched to make it like Blue's voice. "Uh...it's me, Grandpa! Blue!"

"...Go away! I can easily recognize the voice of my granddaughter's, and I say, sir, that you make a very terrible voice impression!"

_'Damn! Well, I knew that wouldn't work. Time for Plan B,' _thought Alvin, cursing to himself. With one kick, he kicked the door down with ease and entered inside.

**SWOOSH! **A few knives struck the wall besides him, startling the wolf as he turned to face Rowen, who was using a chair as support and holding a couple of sharp knives. "Just because I am sick and elderly doesn't mean I can't fight!"

Alvin sighed, not wanting to-actually, he was eagered to fight. "Alright! Bring it on, old man!"

* * *

"NOOOO!" cried out Teepo.

"That's horrible! Why would the wolf do such a bad thing?!" exclaimed Elize.

"Alvin! Did you really have to make me the main character?" muttered Jude. Alvin was tucking Elize to sleep that night when she requested a bedtime story, so he began telling her while Jude had entered and listened in.

"Hey, it IS a bedtime story," said Alvin happily.

"You just took that from Little Red Hiding Hood and changed it up a bit!"

"Hey! No spoiling the story!" scolded Teepo.

"I wanna know! Please continue, Alvin!" said Elize excitedly.

Alvin chuckled. "Alright! Alright! Anyways..."

* * *

After defeating Rowen, Alvin quickly tossed his unconscious body right into a dusty, dirty,, soundproof, unclean closet that would make his body dirty and locked the door. He knew it was a matter of time before Blue would return, so he cleaned up the mess made by their battle and fixed the door before hiding nearby.

He heard knocking and knew it was Blue. "Grandpa Rowen? It's me, Blue! I got some sweets for you! They're super yummy!"

Alvin started to cough, glad that Rowen was actually sick and tried to mimic his voice. "Ah...yes! I am in here, darling Blue!"

Blue tilted her head, confused. "Grandpa? Your voice sounds weird."

"It's uh...part of my sickness! Don't worry! It'll fade away!"

"But, you have to open the door for me, because it's locked."

"Don't worry! It was always unlocked!"

"But, you always keep it lock-"

"Look, can you just go through the freakin' door already?!" squeaked Alvin before covering his mouth. _'Crap! Did she suspect that?!' _

A bit startled, the obivious and adorable Blue nodded before opening the door, which fell to the ground. Confused and a bit frightened, Blue entered inside, unknown that a certain wolf was waiting in the plain darkness.

Then, he saw his chance and grabbed her, ignoring her shrill screams and cries, for he was more than strong enough to handle her. He whispered sweet words in her ear which would make most girls blush, and he was about to swoop down to her delicate, soft neck for one simple bite-

* * *

"-When all of a sudden, the great and mighty Leia came swooping in for the rescue and stopped the evil wolf and saved Little Blue Riding Hood from the clutches of evil!" cried out Leia, entering the room.

"L-leia?!" exclaimed Jude, surprised.

"What do you mean, 'great and mighty?' There are no superheroes in Little Red Riding Hood!" said Alvin.

"Right, but you forgot to mention the woodsman! Or, woodswoman in this case! The great and mighty woodswoman, Leia Rolando, had come to save the day!"

"No way! You're not the woodsman! ...Or woodswoman in this case!"

"Oh yeah? Who do you think is the better woodsman then?"

"Er...fine!"

* * *

"Not so fast, Alvin the Big Bad Wolf!" cried out a triumphant voice.

Alvin unknowingly released Blue, who ran away in fright as he gasped and glanced up on the rooftop. On top was an attractive, young female woodswoman, the famous one named Leia Rolando.

"No! Not the mighty Leia Rolando!" cried out Alvin.

"That's right! I came to stop you!" Leia jumped from her spot and flew towards Alvin, shooting laser beams and energy beams from her eyes and hands-

* * *

"Wait, wait, wait!" cried out Alvin, interrupting Leia's side of the story. "Those aere superpowers! I thought I specifically said no superheroes, meaning no superpowers!"

"Oh come on! The great Leia Rolando has lots of neat powers!" cheered Leia.

"Oh brother..." muttered Jude.

"No! You can only have one power! So, which one is it going to be?" asked Alvin.

"...I have...the power to have any power I want!"

"No, that doesn't count! That's it! You don't get any powers at all!"

"Can you please continue?" asked Elize, yawning.

"R-right!" said Leia. "Anyways..."

* * *

Leia and Alvin fought hard all along, fighting with their own weapons. Alvin, with his sharp claws and fangs, and Leia, with her trusty axe that was sure to cut through anything, even steel. They were at a close match, but only one winner could be chosen!

That winner...was Leia Rolando! She then rescued Blue, captured Alvin, freed Rowen, and the trio all had dessert! The end!

* * *

"Hey, hey, wait! What about me?! Where's my happy ending?" complained Alvin.

"I can't believe everyone's getting this worked up over a story," said Jude.

"Fine, if you must know, you were sent to jail for 30 years for assault, breaking in, and nearly kidnapping someone!"

"That's a bit too much of a punishment! Wouldn't 10 years work?"

"Guys! Shh!" Jude motioned to Elize, who was fast asleep, sleeping peacefully with a happy look on her face as she clutched Teepo.

"AWW! That's so cute!"

Alvin placed an arm around Jude and got her closer. "So...you wanna make the story a reality?"

"N-NO!"

* * *

**Hahaha! I had fun at this! Just to give you guys a heads up, my school will start soon, so I might not update as much. Read and review!**


	16. Sleeping Cutie

**Here's another fairy tale! Next chapter probably won't be about a fairy tale!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

Long ago, in a faraway land, everyone was celebrating the birth of Princess Jude, whose parents were King Gaius and a queen, for they have suffered many childless years. For celebration, King Gaius has invited everyone all throughout the land, including the three Great fairies.

The three Great fairies happened to be Milla, Leia, and Elize, who have come to bless the young baby with the gifts of beauty and song. Milla, the red fairy, presented her gift as well as Leia the green fairy. However, before Elize the blue fairy could present her gift, Muzet, the evil sorceress, appeared, enraged that she was not invited.

As a cruel act of revenge, Muzet placed a curse on Princess Jude, proclaiming, "Princess Jude shall become very beautiful, but on her 16th birthday, she will prick her pretty finger on a spinning wheel and die instantly! Hahahaha!" With that said, she disappeared using her magic.

In desperation to save Jude, Elize used her gift to at least weaken the curse, so instead of dying, Jude will fall into a death-like sleep which she can only be awaken by true love's kiss. Still fearful for her life, and being the overprotective father he is, King Gaius ordered all spinning wheels to be burned and destroyed. Yet, the three Great fairies still feared for Jude's life, so they took her to a cottage in the forest and raised her there.

16 years later, on the day of Jude's 16th birthday, the three Great fairies asked Jude kindly, "Jude, will you please gather berries for a while please?"

Being the kind do-gooder that she is, Jude almost immediantly agreed and set out into the woods as the three Great fairies secretly prepared her birthday party. As Jude was out, gathering berries in her basket, she began to sing in a lovely tone that would attract all sorts of animals.

Meanwhile, a handsome, young, attractive prince named Alfred, or rather, Alvin Von Svent came into the forest to simply explore when he heard the sweet song of a lovely girl. He followed and listened to the song and found the source, a cute, adorable girl by the name of Jude. It was love at first sight when they saw each other, so they began to talk, and Jude invited the prince to the cottage tonight.

While Jude was out, the three Great fairies rushed to clean things up, unknown that they were being spied on by one of the ravens owned by Muzet that had just given away their location. Worried, the moment Jude came back home, the three Great fairies told Jude everything, including her heritage, and that she cannot meet Alvin again, leaving her small, fragile heart heartbroken.

The three fairies decided to take Jude back to the castle while trying to figure out what to do next. Muzet uses her enchanting and magic to lure Jude away from the fairies and tricks her into touching an enhanted spinning wheel, which the curse activates afterwards, leaving her small, cute body asleep when it looks dead.

Then, the fairies carried Jude up to the highest room in the castle and laid her in bed before placing a powerful spell over the kingdom, causing them to fall asleep until after the spell on Princess Jude is broken. Then, while they searched for Jude's true love, they discovered Prince Alvin near the cottage and explained the situation to him, hoping he was true love's kiss.

The fairies used their magic to forge Prince Alvin an magical sword and gun before he went and faced off against Muzet, who was now a huge spirit-dragon-monster thing...yeah...

With the power of his magical sword, and mostly just shooting his magical bullets to her head, Prince Alvin killed the evil Muzet and watched as she quickly perished in her death, no more obstacles in the way.

When he found Princess Jude in her death-like sleep state, he couldn't help but look at her soft, white, milky skin and touch them with his fingers as gently as possible. He felt the silk of the long, blue dress Jude was wearing, which matched her too perfectly. And, those soft, black locks made him wonder what the color of her eyes would be as he swoop down for a-

* * *

"-And then all of a sudden, Princess Jude woke up, saw Prince Alvin trying to molest her, slapped him, got him in prison and personally executed him! The End!" finished Leia quickly. Leia, Alvin, Jude, and Elize were all present in Elize, Jude, and Rowen's room, listening to Alvin read Elize a bedtime story as Rowen and Milla went out for more water.

"Hey! That is so not what happened!" said Alvin. "And why'd you interrupt me?"

"Because you were taking too long!' argued Leia. "Especially that last, descriptive part! I mean, look at Jude!"

"H-huh?!" exclaimed Jude, already flustered red due to the story. "I-it's nothing!"

"That was a great story!" said Elize.

"Yay! Goodnight, everyone!" yawned Teepo before he and Elize fell asleep.

"Yeah, I'm going to bed too," yawned Leia before leaving the room.

"Hey, Alvin?" asked Jude, clutching her bed sheets. "Why do you often describe me as the princess? Do you...have a crush on me?"

Alvin laughed and said, "No, I don't. You're just too cute and easy to tease!"

"O-oh...Okay. Goodnight then!" said Jude, placing the bed sheets over her head.

"'Night,'" said Alvin, leaving, unaware that Jude was crying silently under her bed sheets.

* * *

***Gasp* Alvin made Judie cry! He's evil! Mercenaries like him make cute people like Jude cry! Read and review!**


	17. Betrayal

**Okay, we need some angst so that fem Jude x Alvin might improve!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

The group had been on the run from the Chimeriad and some of the men in the Auj Oule army because apparently, Gaius wanted Milla so that he could gain control of all the unruly clans and for a part in the new war. Also, the moment they talked to Gaius in the throne room, Alvin had turned his back on them and betrayed them by telling Gaius all about some key to activate the Lance of Kresnik.

Now, the group managed to get so far away in the winter lands, they decided to set up camp near a frosty forest since their bones were aching from all the running. Leia and Elize collapsed to their knees, panting heavily as Jude walked into the woods to gather some sticks for a fire.

"Hey, you sure you don't need help?" asked Milla, getting up and ready to help her.

Jude shook her head. "I'm fine. Thank you, though."

"Wait," said Rowen, handing her one of his daggers. "For safety, of course."

"Okay." Jude gratefully took the dagger and hid it in her coat pocket. "I'll return it later!" With that said, she ran off into the woods, her footprints leaving off trails in the snow. Once she was not too deep in the forest, but far away from the others, she began to work.

She turned to the tree closest to her and began to thaw some of the ice out with the dagger she got from Rowen. It took a while, but she managed to gather a few branches. She began to do the same process with the other, weaker trees until she decided that she had enough to start a fire.

After she was finished, she spotted a frozen lake nearby and that small snowflakes were snowing down from the skies again, a common sight in the winter lands of Kanbalar. She sat down on the soft snow, making a small crunch sound as she laid the pile of sticks beside her.

She made a stiff sound as she brought her knees close to her chest, staring at the plain, white ground of nothingness in front of her. She still couldn't believe that Alvin had just sold them out like that and was secretly working with the king of Auj Oule!

Despite that, she still felt that she could trust him, and she already forgiven him for some reason. Yet, she still felt the bitterness and cruelty of her broken heart inside of her. It all started when Alvin had greeted the woman named Presa, the same woman she, Milla, and Alvin encountered before in the Kijara Seafalls. He greeted her casually, like they were friends, and they might have been lovers, but it still hurted Jude's heart.

Jude didn't know the woman, so she couldn't hate her, but she still felt bitter about it. She bit down on her lower lip and tears started falling down her cheeks and dripped onto the snow like raindrops. She covered her face in her knees and her sobs were muffled to hide her embarrassment, even though she was the only one alone.

Alvin had actually secretly followed the group he had betrayed after telling Presa and the others to go searched in the mountains, which would lead to a dead end. He was hiding out in a forest when he heard some sobbing nearby. Curious, he slowly and carefully went to see what was happening, the slow, faint crunching sounds under his boots being the only sound.

When he found the source of the sound, his heart felt like it had shattered into tiny little pieces. He could see Jude sitting down in the snow in the cold, harsh weather, crying to herself. She lifted up a bit of her head, enough for anyone to see her clear tears forming at the corners of her eyes. Alvin gritted his teeth a bit, knowing it was partially his fault she was like this.

Deciding to get her attention and try to talk things out, Alvin threw a small rock at her head, which bounced off. However, Jude didn't even seem to flinch and was still out of it. Alvin got an idea and walked towards the smaller girl before taking off his coat. He gently placed it on her shoulders before setting in the forest, preparing to camp for the night.

When Jude finally snapped out of it, she remembered where she was and realized she had to hurry back to the others before they got worried. However, she noticed a large brown coat several sizes too big for her covering her body, keeping her warm. She realized it was Alvin's coat by the looks of it and the smell of cologne and gunpowder as she held it close to her.

She gathered up all the sticks she had collected before rushing back to the others, clutching onto her new warm coat. Now, she would have to explain to the others how she got the coat, which would result pretty bad.

* * *

**Whew! Got it! I will be going to school soon, so I sadly won't be updating much! Read and review!**


	18. Forgiveness

**Hey, I'm back for some more!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

Jude sighed as she explored all out Xian Du, glancing around the area and seeing some friendly monsters nearby being tended to by their human owners. She sighed sadly, pondering on how...well, Alvin was doing as she clutched his coat closer to her.

She and the others separated after arriving in Xian Du, deciding to rest for a while before they would set out in the new wyverns Yurgen promised them. Jude had been wearing Alvin's large coat ever since she got it in the snowy regions, wearing it only because it was cold.

Then, she felt strong arms hugging her waist from behind and the warm breath of someone's in her neck. She froze, realizing this physical form and knowing who it was as the person gripped her shoulders and made her turn around, winking at her.

"Caught ya, princes-"

"ALVIN!" cried out Jude, tears falling down as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a bone-crushing hug. In fact, she hugged so hard and tightly, people can literally hear the bones in Alvin's body cracking.

_'Can't...breathe...!' _thought Alvin, not expecting this sort of strength coming from the younger girl. Then again, he did betray her and the others, so he did kinda deserve this.

Jude must have realized she was hugging Alvin too much, so she let him go and allowed him to breath. "I-I'm sorry! I hope I didn't squeeze you hard enough."

Alvin wheezed for some breath, managing to smile at her. "Don't worry! I could handle more than that hug!" _'Are you kidding?! That hug was practically the death of me!' _

"So, why'd you come back?"

"Hmm? Because I wanted to rejoin the group, that's why!"

"But, what about Presa and the others?"

"Oh, I tricked them into going into the mountains just for you and the others. You're welcome."

Jude stared hard at Alvin, trying to make sure he wasn't lying. "And, how do I know you're not lying?"

"Oh, come on," protested Alvin, placing an arm around Jude's shoulders and bringing her close. "Can't you give a guy another chance?"

"I...I guess not. But I just didn't want you lying again, like you did to that Presa lady."

Alvin's eyebrow rose and he made a smug smirk. "Just Presa?"

Jude's cheeks turned a bit pink, realizing her mistake. "A-and Gaius and the others too! You know what I mean!"

"Oh, I do. You're jealous, aren't you, my little honors student?"

Now Jude's face was like a small, sweet tomato. "N-no! Who would be jealous of some...some weird-smelling, flirting, lying playboy like you?"

"Ouch," teased Alvin, pretending to be hurt. "Anyways, let's get back to the others and tell them the news about our little one, shall we?"

"ALVIN!"

* * *

"Good news! Jude's pregnant!"

"..." Everyone besides Alvin turned to stare at the mercenary in shock, not only because he had unexpectedly returned, but also because of what he had just said.

"WHAT?!"

"A-ALVIN! THAT WASN'T WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT!"

Alvin chuckled, holding his palms up. "Alright! Alright! I was just kidding! Jeez!"

"Whew, for a second I thought you were serious!" said Elize.

"Hey! Why are you here?" demanded Leia, placing her hands on her hips.

"Just wanted to be welcomed back to the crew, is all," replied Alvin.

"And why should we?" asked Milla, ready to unsheath her sword.

"Well, for two reasons. One, the Chimeriad are heading towards the mountains as we speak thanks to a tip I gave them, so think of it as a peace offering. And second, well, it'll be better if I just show you." Grunting, Alvin suddenly lifted Jude off her feet, hoisting her on his shoulder with ease and lifting her off the ground.

"W-what are you doing?!" exclaimed Jude, embarrassed as she hid her face by grabbing part of the back of his coat, using the cloth to hide her red face.

"Hey! What do you plan to do with Jude, you big bully!" cried out Teepo.

"Nothing. Of course, I could do something..." started Alvin, grinning.

_'He is so dead! I will wipe that grin off his face!' _thought Leia, ready to swing her staff at him.

_'I must say, Alvin is very bold. He must want a slow and painful death,' _thought Rowen, who was surprisingly calm.

_'I have to save Jude from big mean Alvin!' _thought Elize, determined with fire in her eyes.

"Alvin! Please, put me down!' demanded Jude, kicking her legs around.

"Aww, but it's not that bad, isn't it? I mean, it's not like you'll die from it," teased Alvin, grinning widely.

"Alvin! It's embarrassing! People are watching!" Alvin turned his head slightly and saw the huge blush across her face, and even her ears were pink.

_'I don't understand why humans are so embarrassed over things like this. It is so odd,' _thought Milla, puzzled. "Alright, Alvin. Put her down, and you can return to the group, since you have provided us more time."

"Alright, but just to be safe, I'm gonna be close to Jude," said Alvin, putting down Jude and placing his hands on her shoulders, using her as a human shield, thus making Rowen and Leia do absolutely nothing.

_'SOULSTROKE CELEBRATION!' _thought Leia, cletching her staff so hard, it might break.

_'GRAND FINALE!' _Now Rowen was on the verge on drawing his rapier.

_'Somebody kill me already,' _complained Jude silently, more embarrassed.

* * *

**Hahaha! That was cute! This is the last chapter before I go back to school tommorow! Read and review!**


	19. Bazongas

**And the moment you've all been waiting for! Only, with different results!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

"Hey, Alvin?" spoke up Jude, glancing up at the mercenary with her bright golden eyes. "Why is Teepo always talking about 'bazongas?' What does that even mean?"

"Oh, you really wanna know, huh?" chuckled Alvin. "Sorry Judie, but unfortunately, that isn't a topic suited for your innocent little mind quite yet. I'll give you a hint, though. All women have them, except for you and Elize. Not yet anyways."

"If all women have them, then why do you, a male, know about this sort of stuff?"

"Maybe because I'm just one of the lucky few guys who appreciate them," replied Alvin, placing his hands in his coat pockets and flashing a grin at her while cocking his head back a little.

"Why do you always have to make everything weird? Forget I asked!" said Jude, making a pouty face that seemed adorable to Alvin. He could think of about a million of things to do with that expression, and he'd _kill _to see the sort of expression when she finds out what 'bazongas' are.

"Hmm...what if I experiment with you for a bit to see if you have them?" suggested Alvin.

"Experiment? Well, I am a bit curious what 'bazongas' are, but what are you going to do?" Before Jude's answer was answered, she yelped when Alvin wrapped his arms around her tightly and lifted her off the ground, dangling her feet in the air. Alvin squeezed tighter just to feel something before putting her down.

"Hmm...they're pretty small, but nowhere near Leia's..." muttered Alvin.

"W-what was that for?!" exclaimed Jude, blushing since he did hug her so suddenly.

"Eh, nothing. See you later, Jude."

"Hey! You still haven't answered my question!" Taking a deep breath, she yelled out, "ALVIN! TEACH ME ABOUT BAZONGAS!"

Leia and Milla, who happened to be nearby, and luckily, no one was, arrived. "Whoa! Don't go shouting things like that!" scolded Leia.

"Now, now, Leia. I read something like this before. It's called 'puberty,'" spoke Milla sternly. "We must be respectful and understandable as one grows up."

As Leia and Milla left, Jude, who was frustrated, thought, _'What is bazongas? Why is it that everyone gets a different reaction to them? Maybe I should ask Elize-' _

"BAZONGAS!" screamed out Teepo, flying somewhere as Elize ran after him and past Jude.

_'...Or maybe not.' _

Later, Jude was seen inside a library, looking up various dictionaries and trying to find the definition of 'bazongas,' but unfortunately, none of the dictionaries had the word. There was only two explanations. One, the word was just made up, or two, it was just a slang term.

"Jude? May I ask what it is that you are doing?" asked Rowen, who happened to be in the same library as Jude. Also, he noticed the huge mess of books Jude had laid on her table that she would soon be cleaning up.

"Oh...hi, Rowen. I'm trying to find out what 'bazongas' are."

Rowen raised his eyebrow in surprise. "Wherever did you hear that term?"

'Well, Teepo always kept mentioning it, so I asked Alvin, Leia, and Milla, sorta...Anyways, Alvin seemed...strangely happy when I asked him what it was, and he wanted to experiment with me, and Leia and Milla simply acted weird in a way."

"And may I ask what sort of experiment Alvin asked you to do for him?"

"Well, he suddenly hugged me," started Jude. "And then, I felt something on my chest, like fingers, I think? But that was it. I don't get it."

Inside, a volcano suddenly erupted inside Rowen as he plotted ways to kill Alvin. "I see. Thank you for your time, Jude. Now, excuse me, I must go and find that sneaky little bas-I mean, Alvin. Also, if you wish to know what 'bazongas' are, please look up in the body parts section."

Jude nodded as she watched Rowen leave with some sort of angry red aura surrounding him. She shrugged off the feeling and picked up a book about body parts before opening and finding the page. "Oh! Here it is! Bazongas...They are a woman's-!"

Jude's face slowly turned crimson red as she read and saw pictures about 'bazongas' before she quickly shut the book. _'T-that...AGHH! Alvin! That little-! I can't believe-! Pervert!' _

Then, she realized another thing. Alvin used to hang out with that Presa woman, who had...bigger stuff than she did. Alvin is a flirter and somewhat a pervert, so he might like way more beautiful women, much more attractive than her.

She sighed as she gathered up all the books she had read, trying to stack them up into their previous shelves in order to clean up her mess. What she failed to notice was Alvin bursting in the silent library, panting with his hair messed up and half of him injured by someone else.

"Alvin?" wondered Jude, turning to him in surprise. "What are you doing here? Are you hurt?" She bent down and started to cast healing artes to heal his wounds.

"Thanks kiddo," panted Alvin before noticing something. There were tear trails down Jude's cheeks, and even more tears were falling down. "Hey, I didn't mean to upset you that badly. I'm sorry."

"H-huh?" hiccuped Jude. She had just finished healing his very little wounds and took off one of her gloves and gently touched her cheek, which was soaked in her tears. "I didn't realize I was crying. I'm sorry if I upset you."

Alvin shook his head. "No, you were the one crying. Did someone upset you? Just tell ol' Alvin here, and I'll beat them up for ya."

"No, it's just...do you really, really, REALLY like women with bigger...bazongas?"

Alvin seemed surprised, and chuckled. "Oh, you found that out, huh? So, you figured out what yours was? I already did."

Jude's face turned flustered red as she chunked a bunch of books at Alvin, who yelped and tried to block them with his arms. "I-idiot! Moron! Doofus! Ugh! Pervert!"

"Ow! Hey! I didn't-! Ow!"

Then, the library doors opened with a loud bursting sound. "Aha! I finally found you!"

"OH COME ON! I JUST LOST YOU!"

* * *

**Hahaha! Alright, I'm back on my first day, and I wish you guys well! Still more where that came from!**


	20. ECHO!

**And yet another skit that many fans adore!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

"Hey Jude! Look over there!" said Alvin, pointing out into the distance. He and Jude had snuck out of camp for a short walk because for whatever reason, Rowen or Leia or sometimes both kept following Jude and keeping a very, VERY close eye on Alvin for the past few days.

Jude turned to stare down at a cliff which she gripped onto the fence to prevent anyone from falling. Below the cliff was a huge valley full of colorful, beautiful flowers that were radiating from the clear red sunset.

"Wow! What a beautiful view! I bet if I yelled really loud, it would echo back!"

"So, why not try it?" suggested Alvin casually. "You gotta do things like that while you're still young. When you get to be my age, it can be a little embarrassing."

"Yeah, alright. Why not?" agreed Jude, a bit embarrassed by what might happen. She gasped and took a deep breath before yelling at the top of her lungs, "ECHO!"

Alvin, knowing full well that it wouldn't echo back, decided to tease Jude and play along. "Echo...echo...echo...echo..."

"Alvin!"

"Alvin...Alvin...Alvin...Alvin..."

"And what you're doing now isn't embarrassing?"

"A little...a little...a little...a little..."

"Right, I'm finished," said Jude, turning a bit pink.

"Wait...wait...wait...wait..."

"What now, Alvin?" sighed Jude. "I'm already embarrassed enough as it is!"

"Oh, come on! Can you just echo something one more time?" pleaded Alvin, grinning. "This time, I promise I won't copy ya!"

"Well, if it's just one more thing, then okay! What was it?"

"Ready...?"

"Um...yes?"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, alright."

"Are you REALLY sure?"

"Yes, Alvin."

"Are you really, really, REALLY sure?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

"Are you r-"

"GIVE ME THE ANSWER, ALVIN!"

"Alright, alright! Jeez!" said Alvin. "Say...'Teach me about bazongas!'"

"Okay! TEACH ME ABOUT BAZONGAS! Wait, what?!"

Alvin starting cracking up. "Ahaha! I can't believe you fell for that! Ahahaha!"

"Alvin!"

"OKAY!" called out a far away voice from somewhere in the valley, making Alvin and Jude freeze.

"Uh...did you just hear that?" asked Jude.

"Someone seriously answered back?!" exclaimed Alvin, stunned. "Right...let's just...get outta here, Jude."

After both of them left, a woman turned to her male companion, who had answered back the echoing call and was now giving him a stern look. "What? They asked!"

* * *

**Hahaha! Sorry this was short, but it was the best I could come up with! I got this idea from seeing a picture from Deviant Art! **


	21. Hickey

**Hahaha! Excellent! I was planning to do this chapter later on, but I thought, 'why not now?'**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

_'I don't get it. Why do people like to drink anyways?' _wondered Jude, pondering on people drinking alcohol. She, Milla, and Alvin were sleeping in the same room in two different beds as the others slept in another room. Milla and Alvin were sound asleep, but Jude didn't feel like the mood to sleep just yet.

Everyone decided to decide which room they would sleep in by drawing names in a hat. Apparently, Jude kept getting paired up with Alvin for whatever reason, making Leia and Rowen frustrated as they tried to rearrange the names over and over until everyone got impatient and told them to deal with it. Although, Jude had a feeling a certain someone rigged it.

Apparently, about an hour later, Alvin was out drinking for a bit and drank a bit too much, forcing Jude to help carry him all the way back to the inn. Luckily, he was mostly tired and didn't do...anything strange. Also, when she arrived back at their inn room, Milla was already asleep, so after she laid Alvin in his bed, she snuggled next to Milla, who had hogged all the blankets to herself.

"Haa...haa..." panted Alvin, twisting and tossing and turning in his sleep. Jude was confused and sat up, her back against the wall as she heard Alvin moaning and his face turning red. "Ohhh man...touching me there...? You're pretty brave..."

_'What's he doing? Is he...enjoying a bath? But it sounds like he's doing it with someone,' _wondered Jude, puzzled as her face turned pink. _'And why is my face getting warm?' _

"Oh God...you're so tight there...Suddenly, you're so aggressive today, and usually, I'm the much older one..."

_'Okay, maybe if it's not in the bathtub, is he helping someone change clothes? That could explain the tight spot,' _thought Jude, interested. _'Then again, he could be in a battle with someone.' _

She then heard the bed move and turned to see Alvin getting up, his eyes still shut as he slowly started stumbling around the room. "Mmm...makin' me...sleepy..."

_'He's just sleepwalking? I might as well help him before he hit the ground,' _thought Jude, getting up from her bed before walking towards Alvin and grabbing his arm. "Alvin-eep!" Jude felt Alvin's arms under her knees and back and was sweeped off her feet before tossed in his bed. "Ow! Alvin, I know you're sleepwalki-"

Alvin then crawled on top of Jude, as if he was the predator and she was his beloved, delicious prey. Jude was still confused and a little scared, not understanding about the concept of a girl and a boy in a bed together. Alvin took one of her strands of hair and began to gently twist it in his finger. "Mine...my turn to make you satisfied..."

_'So, he's winning the fight in his dream? That's great, I guess,' _thought Jude. _'Okay, I need to get out of his way, and it's getting too warm in here!' _She grabbed a pillow from the bed and began to whack it at Alvin's face, smacking it as hard as she could and hearing him groan as she slowly sat up on the bed, ready to move as soon as he let his guard down. He was just lucky she didn't use her fists.

Suddenly, Alvin yanked the pillow out of her hands and slammed his hands in the wall between her head, making her unable to escape either way. "So rude," pouted Alvin as he got closer to her ear. "But I know how to make you..._scream." _

"Kya!" cried out Jude when Alvin bit down on her neck like a vampire. _'Okay, now he's resorted to biting his opponent?' _thought Jude as she felt tongue and wetness on her neck. _'I'm sorry, Alvin! I didn't want to do this!' _

**SLAM! **With everything she had, she slammed her knee against's Alvin's abdomen, making him cough out and release her. The moment he did, she rushed to the bathroom and locked the door behind her, knowing full well what would happen in she stayed in the same room.

She panted and fell to the ground, rubbing her neck as she slowly got up and glanced at her own reflection in the mirror. She moved her head to see her neck better and saw there was some red teeth marks on her neck.

_'Oh no! What will the others think of now?' _thought Jude as she scrambled to get out of the bathroom. She saw that Alvin and Milla were fully asleep and was grateful they were both heavy sleepers. She saw Alvin's scarf in a chair and got an idea.

* * *

_The next day... _

"Oh come on! Please, give it back, Jude?"

"I will once I buy a new scarf. Can you wait a little bit longer, Alvin?"

"Well, that was my scarf to begin with! And besides, you had no right to take it!"

"...I'm sorry, Alvin! Please, just lend it to me for just a few more hours!"

Ever since Jude had worn Alvin's scarf since this morning, Alvin kept on bugging her to give it back to him, not knowing why she had his scarf to begin with. In fact, the others were curious too, but still watch Jude and Alvin bicker about it.

"Why did you decide to wear it, Jude?" asked Elize curiously.

"It's like you're hiding something!" pointed out Teepo.

"Come to think of it," spoke Milla, thinking carefully. "Last night, I heard some strange noises, and I woke up to find some sort of strange activity?"

"What kind?" asked Leia.

"Well, when I woke up, I saw Alvin sleepwalking, and while Jude tried to help him go back to bed, he suddenly carried her to his bed, started saying weird things, and play with her hair."

_'WHAT?!' _Everyone thought in their minds, getting strange reactions. Jude was just shocked that Milla was actually awake to see this, while the others had different thoughts in mind, except for Elize for she was still a kid.

"Also, Jude started to hit Alvin with a pillow, but he yanked it out of her hands and proclaimed he knew how to make her 'scream.' Afterwards, he bit on her neck, and once Jude got away, she ran to the bathroom. It was a strange activity. What do you humans call it?"

"Oh, there is no name for it. I think Jude was fighting someone and he must have unconsciously thought his enemy was me," explained Jude, being oblivious. "I think he uses biting as a last resort."

_'Jude, just how dense are you?!' _thought Alvin as Leia and Rowen sternly glared at him. He coughed before quickly taking the scarf off of Jude.

"H-hey!" Jude tried to cover her neck, but it was too late. Everyone already saw the faint teeth marks on her fragile skin.

_"Alvin. Is. DEAD,' _both Rowen and Leia thought together as they pulled out their weapons.

Alvin noticed them as soon as he fixed his scarf and wrapped it around his neck before backing away, panicking a bit. "N-now hold on! I didn't mean to-!"

"DIE!"

* * *

**One of my favorite chapters! If Jude was a girl, and this was a skit, I would be SO happy!**


	22. Rowenella

**Yet another fairy tale story that everyone's familiar with!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

"Hey, hey, hey! I wanna know a bedtime story!" said Teepo over and over as he was being held by Elize while she was laying in bed.

"Me too! Tell us a different story, Alvin!" said Elize happily.

"Alright, alright! Settle down!" chuckled Alvin, sitting in the same bed as Elize. "Okay, hmm...let's see-"

**BANG! **The door slammed open, and a steaming Leia entered with a desperate Jude trying to calm her down. "Leia! Come on! You needed to eat them!"

"No way! I totally HATE onions! Yet he made me eat them! Ugh!" cried out Leia, frustrated.

"Whoa, whoa! What's going on?" asked Alvin.

"It's Rowen! He said I had to eat my onions because they were healthy and forced them into my mouth!"

"You mean the onions from dinner?"

"Yes!"

Jude sighed in exhaustion. "And now Leia's plotting something bad to get revenge on Rowen. And, knowing her, her plans are always, very, very, BAD."

"Yeah! Like that one time I made my Dad's voice so high and girly!" pointed out Leia.

"And? How'd that go?" asked Alvin.

"You don't want to know," said Jude, shuddering from the memory.

"And I've come up with the perfect solution for Plan: Get Revenge on Rowen!" declared Leia. "And, here's what I decided! Telling little girls bedtime stories!"

"Uh...and how will that offend Rowen?" asked Alvin, scratching his head, confused.

"You'll see! Hey, Elize! Wanna hear a bedtime story?"

"Yes, please!"

"Okay, it's called, 'Rowenella!'"

"This should be good," commented Alvin, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

* * *

Once upon a time, there was once a young...person named Rowenella! His father remarried to a woman named Muzet, and Muzet already had two kids, Elize, and Jude!

* * *

"But I don't wanna be an evil stepsister!" complained Elize. "I don't want to be rude to Rowenella!"

Alvin snickered at the mention of 'Rowenella.' "Alvin!" scolded Jude.

"Fine, fine! It's not the evil stepsisters...it's uh...the two good, kindhearted sisters!"

"Yay!"

Alvin shook his head in disbelief. _'Leia corrupting kids' minds? And here I thought she was supposed to be a cheerful, do-gooder?' _

* * *

Anyways, Rowenella's father died due to an illness, so it was just Muzet and her two daughters forced to take care of Rowenella. However, unlike any other girls, or boys in this matter, Rowenella was extremely rude, mean, cocky, a bit more selfish, stingy, ungrateful-

* * *

"Okay, okay! Leia, I think we got the picture," said Alvin, interrupting her so she could get the point.

"How could he! Rowenella!" shouted Teepo with disgust in his tone.

"Yeah! He should be punished!" agreed Elize.

"Congratulations, Leia. You officially made two little kids hate the peaceful and lovable story of Cinderella. But only the Rowen version," said Alvin sarcastically.

"You're welcome!"

"That was sarcasm!"

"I don't care!"

* * *

The point was, Rowenella was a very, very, VERY, bad person. In fact, he was so bad, that Muzet didn't even care about him and forced him to do chores every day. Who could blame her? She did try her best to raise him properly.

One day, she received an invitation from the castle, stating it was Prince Alvin's birthday, and invited everyone in the land to come and visit. Of course, Rowenella wanted to go too, but guess what Muzet said?

"Hell no! You naughty, naughty boy!"

* * *

"Leia, I understand that you're using your anger out on Rowen by telling the story, but you're going too far by using bad words!" said Jude.

"Yay! Muzet said no!" cheered Elize.

"Hell yeah!" Teepo cried out happily.

"See?!"

"Oh come on!" spoke Leia. "I mean, Alvin swears all the time, even in front of Elize!"

Both teenage girls turned to Alvin, who was whistling and trying to get out of the room as soon as possible. Quickly, using her Lillium Orb's speed effect, Jude got a bar of soap from the bathroom and swiftly stuffed it into Alvin's mouth.

"MMPH!" cried out Alvin, shocked before he spitted it out. "Blah! What was that for?! Pah!"

"That was using bad language in front of Elize!" scolded Jude.

"Can I continue my story?" asked Leia, annoyed.

* * *

Rowenella got angry and started throwing a tantrum as Muzet and her two daughters got ready for the party. It wasn't until after they left did Rowenella realize that he was missing out on the party, so with all of his mana, he managed to summon his adorable, fairy god mo-er, fairy guardian, Leia!

* * *

"Oh God," said Alvin, realizing what might happen.

"This will not end well," admitted Jude.

* * *

"What do you want?" asked Leia rudely, knowing full well that Rowenella was more rude than her.

So, Rowenella demanded to get changed into the finest clothes possible, and, knowing full well that he needed a ride there, he also demanded a carriage there as well. Leia, who decided to take revenge on him, dressed him up in the most silliest dress possible and before he could complain, she used her magic to teleport him to the castle.

Once at the castle, he was greeted by Prince Alvin, the charming, most handsomest man in the entire kingdom, and was asked to dance.

* * *

"WHOA, WHOA, WHOA! WAIT!" cried out Alvin. "Why me?!"

Leia looked annoyed. "You swear in front of kids!"

"You do too!"

"At least I don't often!"

* * *

So, Rowenella danced with Prince Alvin, but only for a while, because, being the womanizer he is, Prince Alvin left Rowenella depressed and sad when he started to dance with another woman.

Seeing the party was boring, Rowenella left. The next day, there was an announcement about a blue slipper that had fallen off during the party and belonged to one of the ladies Prince Alvin had danced with. Whoever's foot fits through the slipper had to be the one Prince Alvin would marry.

So, when Prince Alvin came to Muzet's home, he matched the slipper with Jude's foot, thus making her the fiance of Prince Alvin!

* * *

"So that means that Prince Alvin is now going to be married to Jude!" said Elize happily.

"O-only in the story, of course! Not in real life!" stated Jude, blushing a little.

"Oh, really?" asked Alvin, placing an arm around Jude's shoulders, giving her a grin. "I wouldn't mind welcoming our first little one into the world."

Jude looked at Alvin, puzzled. "Little what? Did you mean linked artes? Because we already do that."

Leia started laughing as Alvin facepalmed. "It's-never mind."

"So, what happened to Rowenella?" asked Elize to Leia, who managed to stop laughing.

"Well, he was still bad, but eventually was arrested, tortured, and executed. The end!"

"Leia!" cried out Jude, a bit horrified.

"Satisifed, Leia?" asked Alvin.

"Yup! My revenge is fully complete!"

_'But mine has just started,' _thought Rowen, who was listening in the other side of the door, chuckling to himself.

* * *

**Not much Alvin x Jude, but still humorous! Read and review!**


	23. Sugarhigh

**Will Rowen get his revenge? Will Leia escape? Will Alvin and Jude ever make love? Read and find out!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

Rowen was busy, using the kitchen to make his special herbal tea for everyone who were hanging out in Driselle's mansion that morning. Actually, he had two reasons why. One, it was because Lady Driselle requested it, and two, this was the_ perfect _opportunity for revenge against Leia.

He had planned on placing a special sort of powder he's been perfecting for a special occasion such as this. He poured the powder onto the brown liquid in the sky blue teacup and watched as the powder dispersed in the liquid. Yes, he has tested this sort of powder before by slipping it into Alvin's food a few times, and all those times, he kept sneezing nonstop for a single day.

Yes, Rowen Illbert's master revenge plan was to get Leia to sneeze for a full day nonstop.

It seemed silly, even for him, but hey, it was the least he could do without hurting the teenager much. He managed to place sugar in all of the tea in the teacups before lifting up the tray and walking out of the kitchen and towards the group, who were waiting at the dining room. He knew that Leia's favorite color was sky blue, so he was confident that she would take the sky blue teacup.

"Tea is ready," said Rowen, laying the tray down on the table. "Now, if you'll excuse me." He left to put away some dishes in the kitchen he had left out before getting the tray to the dining room.

"Oh boy! I can't wait to drink some of his delicious tea again!" exclaimed Leia, taking the _green _teacup.

"Hmm...it strangely tastes a lot like some sort of aroma juice," replied Milla, taking a small, quiet sip from her pink teacup. "I do wonder what the name of this particular tea is. Maybe I should have Ivar make some when I get back to my duties."

"Well, I gotta admit, even for an old man, he is sure a good cook! Er...tea maker!" admitted Alvin, grinning after drinking his dark blue teacup.

Just when Jude was politely about to take her first sip of her own tea in the _sky blue _teacup, she felt some sort of tugging on her coat. She glanced down and saw Elize shyly tugging on her coat, as if wanting something.

"Jude? Is it okay if I taste some of the tea too?" asked Elize politely while holding onto Teepo with her other free arm.

"Elize wants to be a grown-up quickly, so she wants to have grown-up tea!" blurted out Teepo, being the large talker he is.

Jude nodded and handed Elize her teacup. "Just a bit of a sip, okay? It's pretty hot."

The little girl nodded before slowly taking a sip, gulping a bit of the tea down before handing the teacup back to Jude. "It's...pretty good!"

"Yeah, Rowen makes the best tea!" agreed Jude before drinking the last of the contents just when Rowen returned. As he was about to enter the dining room, he was shocked to see Jude drinking the sky blue teacup he had thought Leia would drink!

_'Oh dear,' _he thought. _'This will not result well.'_

* * *

_Later... _

**ZOOM! ZOOM! ZOOM! **It all began about 5 minutes ago, when Elize and Jude suddenly started trembling like crazy. Before anyone could ask them what was wrong, both of them were suddenly energetic and running around the mansion like little children. They were both giggling and looking happy as they ran at fast speeds, reexploring each and every room in the mansion. Teepo was also flying around in a fast pace, and nobody could catch him since he was floating too high and he was too fast for them.

In the meantime, Rowen, Alvin, and Leia were doing everything they can to try and stop the two girls and try to calm them down, but it was going to be difficult catching two speedsters, and a talking, floating toy that was ESPECIALLY hard to tackle down. Thank God that Driselle wasn't even home from whatever she was doing. Also, Milla had gone with Driselle because she asked for a favor.

It was like a game of Tag with three people each, and the objective was to try and catch Elize, Jude, and Teepo, but since Teepo was out of the question, only Elize and Jude.

"Yay yay yay!" giggled Jude, using her Snap Pivot to dash around, causing Alvin to get dizzy over and over as he tried to catch the petite teenager. "Hahaha! This is so much fun!"

_'Jeez, what is wrong with today?' _thought Alvin, panting as he wiped sweat from his forehead and messy hair. _'Elize and Teepo I can understand, but I never expected Jude, out of all people to be so...energetic today. Just what is it? Her birthday?' _

"WHOOOOOOHOOOOO!" cheered Teepo, screaming as he was still flying around the mansion like crazy.

"Candy mountain! Candy mountain!" shouted Elize, still running away from Leia and Rowen who were trying to catch the small girl. "Ilovecandy!Ilovecandy!WHOOO!"

About an hour later, Alvin, Rowen, and Leia finally gave up and were laying on the couches, gasping for air as the three sugarhigh runners were still being their energetic selves. Luckily, they didn't make too much of a mess and didn't break any valuables.

"God damn...it..." gasped Alvin. "What is...wrong with those two...?"

As soon as he caught his breath, Rowen sighed, disappointed in himself. "I...may have had a part of that. You see, I slipped some...special powder in with sugar, that was only intended for Leia."

"What?!" the expected victim cried out. "Why me?! And what sort of powder did you put in?"

"Well, that sort of powder was supposed to make whoever drank the tea with the powder to sneeze nonstop for a full day."

"Wait...nonstop...?" Alvin suddenly realized what he meant as he put two and two together. "Aha! I knew it! I had a feeling you were responsible for my unexplained sneezing! Now I don't have to stay away from peach plums any longer!"

"Wait, if you put the powder in, wouldn't that mean any one of us could have drinked that tea? Also, why didn't Jude and Elize kept on sneezing?" questioned Leia, confused.

"Well, you did say your favorite color was sky blue, so I assumed you would take the sky blue one," explained Rowen. "As for the sneezing part, well, I don't know. Perhaps it works differently on females, or maybe because the sugar was added."

"Either way, this is totally all your fault!" complained Alvin. "And now-"

"Alvie! Alvie! Alvie!" cheered the two hyper girls as they ran up to the brown-haired mercenary, jumping up and down excitedly as Teepo kept on bouncing off the walls. "Wewannagotothepark!Wewannagotothepark!"

Alvin blinked, not understanding their fast language. "W-wait, what?"

"We wanna go to the park!"

"Just...go and take them, please, Alvin," pleaded Leia, too tired to move.

"Wait, why me?! And why can't the old man do this?! He's the one who caused this in the first place!"

"No! We wanna go with you!" pouted Jude, launching herself onto Alvin's arm. In addition, she was sitting on his lap and holding his arm close to her face, cuddling it. In reality, Jude would never do these things.

"No fair, Judie! Me too!" said Elize excitedly as she launched onto Alvin's other free arm and hugged it tightly. In normal circumstances, Alvin would love to have two women hug his muscular arms, but right now, it was just too awkward. At least Rowen and Leia were too tired to be in Kill-Alvin mode.

Alvin let out a sigh of exhaustion. "Sorry, girls. I just can't take you. Nope."

"BWAAAAAHHHHH!" cried out Elize, Jude, and even Teepo, who had just arrived. "ALVIE'S SO MEAN!" All three of them widen their huge, glassy eyes full of tears, and their lips quivered, making Alvin try his best to look away, but can't. Yes, the three of them were doing the most powerful technique.

The puppy dog eyes.

"Grrr...fine! Okay! Just...don't do that! Please!" Alvin was practically dying from under the technique, especially since the girls, and Teepo, were so close.

"YAY!" All three cheered, still holding Alvin close.

_'Alvin gets a harem...yay...' _thought both Leia and Rowen, too tired to think.

* * *

_At the park... _

"Tagyou'reit!"

"No,youare!"

"NOIAM!"

Alvin watched as an ex-medical student, a little girl, and a talking toy were arguing about who was about to be 'It' in Tag while sitting down in a bench, enjoying the fresh afternoon breeze. That is, until Jude appeared in front of him so suddenly.

"WHOA!" Alvin nearly fell off his seat, if it weren't for him grabbing the railing. "You surprised me!"

Jude began to tug on his arm and managed to get him to stand up. "Alvie! Alvie! Alvie! Play House with us! Play House with us!"

"House? Why?"

"Because it's fun! Fun!" said Elize jumping up and down.

"Yeah, don't be a party spoiler!" scolded Teepo, bouncing up and down off the ground several times.

"Yay, yay! I wanna be the Mommy!" declared Jude, hugging Alvin's arm. "Elize is the little sister, Teepo is the baby, and Alvie is the Daddy! Everything's perfect!"

"Wait, wait, wait! I'm not playing with you, no way!" refused Alvin, looking away and crossing his arms with his eyes closed. "And don't even try using the puppy dog eyes, 'cause it ain't going to work on me a second time."

Elize, Jude, and Teepo all glanced at each other, as if they could comunicate telepathically. Knowing Jude, since she did get most of the dose of the powder and sugar, Alvin knew something dreadful was about to happen. Jude then threw an air punch in the air.

"DOGPILE ON ALVIE!"

Afterwards, Alvin was forced to play a game of Tag, where he was the runner, and the other three were 'It.'

As soon as it was sundown and about to get dark, Alvin was way past the level of exhaustion. All he wanted was to crawl onto a bed and just go to sleep. Just when he was about to go and get the trio, he found them under a shady tree, leaning against the bark and fast asleep. Both Jude and Elize were cuddling together and Elize was hugging Teepo like a teddy bear.

Alvin was at least relieved that they were finally asleep and not causing any trouble. Using one arm, he scooped up Elize, and using his other free arm, he threw Jude over his shoulder and carried her there as he carefully walked back to the mansion, trying not to wake them up.

Afterwards, nobody mentioned to Jude or Elize about the whole sugarhigh for their own sakes, Rowen was on chores for an entire month, and nobody dared to drink Rowen's tea again.


	24. Drunk

**I know a lot of you wanted to see this, so here goes!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

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"Alllvvviiie!" cried out Jude, clinging onto the older mercenary's arm like a child. "Alvie...!"

Alvin only stared at Jude, whose cheeks were completely pink, and her gazing eyes met up with his mature ones. "Uh..." Alvin took Jude's empty cup off the table, sniffed it inside, recognizing the smell before looking annoyed at the others. "Alright, who spiked the Honors Student's drink?"

"Alvie!" pouted Elize with flustered cheeks and glittering eyes as she wrapped her arms around Alvin's chest and snuggled her head against his arm. "You're so soft!"

It took less than 2 seconds for Alvin to figure out what was wrong with Elize before he glared at Rowen and Leia. Luckily, Teepo wasn't here right now or he probably would have crunched on Alvin's face like he does to Jude.

Since the suspect was Rowen due to a certain tea incident, both Alvin and Leia turned to Rowen, who was just as confused as they were. "I wasn't the one who spiked it." They glared down at him harder. "Seriously, I wasn't! Besides, I wasn't the one who bought the fruit juice and alcohol, it was Leia."

Now, the two men turned to Leia, who was shaking her head. "No! I made sure to pour the right kinds! I'm serious! See? Look, I even labeled them!"

Alvin reached out to grab the two bottles, but yelped when he was yanked back by two drunken females, who were hugging him by the neck, effectively choking him. "You can't, Alvie!" pouted Jude, squeezing tighter. "You can't have an affair with mean ol' Rowen and Leia! No fair!"

"Yay! Yay! Pony, ride! Ride!" cheered Elize, not having any affection for Alvin, but thinking he was a horse.

"Gah! ...Let...go...!" squeaked Alvin, gasping for breath as he tried to hold onto something. He averted his eyes towards Leia and Rowen, but both 'hmph' and looked away. _'Freakin' team killers!' _

Rowen took the two bottles and peered closely at Leia's terrible handwriting before sighing."Leia, as much as it pains me to tell you...your handwriting is...off. A lot."

"Alvie!" gasped Jude, running her hands all over Alvin's spiky brown hair. "Your hair's softy! I thought it'd hurt more since it's spikey! Yay yay for softy!" She the proceeded to continuing petting his hair like it was a pet.

"Choo choo! Choo choo!" cheered Elize, running around the room, acting like she was a train.

"Uh...I think that's enough, Jude," said Alvin, lifting Jude by her waist like an adult picking up his own kid. And, lifting up Jude wasn't too difficulty since he was way physically stronger then her.

"But...but Alvie!" Jude's glinting eyes began to fill with tears as her body trembled, her hands tugging onto Alvin's coat to get his attention.

"W-what?" Alvin was secretly panicking inside, trying to figure what to do since Jude was about to cry. And he couldn't yell or force her anything while she was at this state, because she was just...so _adorable. _

Jude sniffed and started to cry, wriggling out of Alvin's grip before hiding her face into his chest, her tears staining his shirt as Alvin comically tried to calm her down and try to figure out why the hell she was crying! Maybe it was because of the effects of the alcohol.

"I AM MAXWELL, LORD OF SPIRITS!" A very familiar female voice screamed. Apparently, Milla had drunk a bit too much of alcohol and was resting in the bathroom, making the others wonder where she had gone all this time, until they heard her voice.

"La la la la la..." sang Elize, skipping across the room.

Rowen sighed. "I see Milla has gotten drunk as well. Leia, knowing Milla, could you please assist me? I may need some help."

"Uh...sure." After the two of them stood up, and before they left the room, they gave Alvin a stern expression that said, Do-Anything-Bad-And-DIE.

Once they were gone, Alvin turned to the small, fragile teenager, who was still sobbing in his shirt and saw her using his scarf as some sort of tissue to blow her nose. "Hey, hey! You can't do that! Ugh!"

Unfortunately, his outburst frightened Jude more, as she began to cry louder. "Alvie! It's not fair!" Jude began pounding her fists against Alvin's chest, which didn't seem to do any damage to him even though she was putting force into them. "You...you already like other big breasted women like Milla and Presa, but not me? Waaaahhh!"

_'WHAAAAATTT?!' _Came into Alvin's mind. That was what Jude was crying about? "H-hold on, Jude! Yes, I like types of women like that, but I still like you too!"

"But...*sniff* I don't have bazongas! You said they were small like a mouse! WAAAHHH!"

_'Even if that's...true, when did I say that?!' _thought Alvin, getting more and more awkward. "Jude, you're just drunk! You don't know what you're saying!"

"I'm *hic* not Jude! I'm just drunk!"

Alvin sweatdropped as he tried to figure out what to do. "Okay! Okay! I like you too!"

"BAZONGAS! BAZONGAS!" yelled Elize, running around and scaring the life out of Alvin.

Jude sniffed, looking up at Alvin with the most adorable puppy dog eyes face she could muster up. "Really? Even if I don't have bazonga?"

He sighed, petting Jude on the back. "Yes, even if you don't have...that."

"Yay!" Taking a deep breath, Jude's face began to turn more red as she felt more warmth and sweat was dripping from the back of her neck. Sweating, she zipped down her black overcoat, tossed it away, and began to unbutton her other white coat.

"WHOA WHOA WHOA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" exclaimed Alvin, backing away to the far end of the couch as fast as possible, his face a bit flustered.

"Eh?" Jude had already thrown off her white coat and managed to unbutton the top two buttons of her white shirt, revealing a bit of her white, vulnerable skin. She began to crawl slowly towards Alvin like a cat while he tried to back away. "But...I'm too hot! I wanna take off my clothes!"

"NO NO NO!" Alvin quickly scrambled to his feet and rushed towards Jude before she could unbutton more of her shirt. "You're fine! It's...alright!" Actually, his body was just begging him to take off her clothes, but not like this!

"Fine!" Jude pouted. She jumped onto his lap and sat there before wrapping her arms around his neck, making it more difficult and awkward for Alvin to try to move her. "Ahhh...Alvie, you're so warm.~"

_'First she's hot, and now she's cold?! Make up your mind!' _begged Alvin, awkwardly placing his hands on her waist. Just before he could attempt to move her, Leia and Rowen came back to see an unexpected scene.

Jude's two light jackets were scattered all over the floor, and two buttons on her shirt were off.

She was close to Alvin's body AND wrapping her arms around the traitor mercenary.

Traitor mercenary had his hands on her waist.

Alvin was going to die.

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**Well, with that done, I'll let you guys decide what happens next, but guess what? Alvin doesn't die, because we know in types like this, the one that's caught in awkward situations always gets punished. Read and review!**


	25. Promises

**I decided it was time for some drama and all! Also, I got the idea from YuGiOh-Lover25!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

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Alvin was constantly getting worried each and every day as he and his group kept on traveling. Every now and then, some Exodus assassins would always try to assasinate or ambush Milla, and they were lucky each time, escaping with just a few injuries. Eventually, he knew their luck would run out.

The mercenary didn't know why, but he's was almost always by Jude's side, especially in battle. He'd mostly do the attacking and defending for her, leading him to always having being healed by Jude. Although it was a pain, it was always nice to be healed by someone you can trust.

One day, while Alvin was polishing his gun while sitting next to a tree, he was keeping an eye out for Jude, who was talking with Milla. Leia was helpign Elize bathe in a nearby waterfall, and Rowen was out fishing, so it was just him, Milla, and Jude.

Suddenly, he heard Jude cry out in pain and saw her clutching her arm, an arrow stuck to it. Milla quickly unsheathed her blade, facing up to the Exodus archer who was on top of a tall tree, trying to reload his crossbow as fast as he could, knowing full well he missed Maxwell.

**BANG! **Alvin was quicker and shot the archer, thus killing him before he ran towards Jude's side. "Jude! Jude! Are you okay?"

"I-GAH!" Jude cried in pain when Milla pulled the arrow out of her arm so forcefully before she casted a healing arte on it.

"My apologies, Jude. I had to remove the arrow," apologized Milla, still trying to close up the wound. Despite the wound being closed, Jude stumbled back before collapsing, her breath short, her face paled, and sweat forming at her forehead.

"Jude! Jude, damnit! Stay with us!" yelled Alvin, shaking her. He took off his coat and scarf so he could form a pillow and blanket for the younger girl. "What's wrong with her? She's running a fever!"

"Alvin, calm down," said Milla sternly, examining the arrow. "The arrow's been poisoned, so that must be the cause of it. We need Leia and Elize for this since my healing artes aren't enough."

"Damnit!" Alvin pounded his fist against the ground, gritting his teeth. He should have been the one hit instead of her!

Later, they managed to find an inn in a nearby town so they could lay Jude to rest in a proper bed. Leia and Elize managed to get the poison out on time before bad came to worse for Jude, and were now resting, hanging out somewhere in town.

Alvin was the only one who stayed behind, too worried for Jude's health as he sat down in a chair near Jude's bed and squeezed her hand tightly, silently praying for her to wake up. He had just realized, he _loves _her, like lovers. That was the reason for his behavior, but he can't love her, because he's a murderer, a liar, and most of all, a _betrayer. _

Jude deserved someone much more better than him. Someone who's handsome, loves to tease her until her face is red, kind, knows his limits, gentle, treats her with kind-wait did he just describe himself?

He then heard some sort of moaning sound and looked up to see Jude starting to wake up. She had clutched her head, trying to figure out what had happened. "How did I get here...?"

"...Do you remember what happened?" asked Alvin in a low, serious tone. Jude was a little startled, but shook her head calmly. "You were shot by a poisoned arrow." He gritted his teeth, and his tone got higher as he snapped. "You were talking to Milla, and you got shot by a fucking poisoned arrow!"

Jude winched at his sharp tone, then tried to calm him down by saying, "But, I'm alright. I heard a gunshot, so you saved-"

"Shut up and listen!" he snapped, grabbing her shoulders and slamming her against the bed, causing her to yelp and stare at his furious expression. "You have no, no _fucking _idea how worried I was! You were unconscious for a day! A DAY! You could have died, damnit! Why?! Tell me, why is it that I kept losing people important to me?!"

"I..." Jude looked away, guilty for making Alvin so mad and sorrowful. She grimaced in pain when he tightened his grip on her shoulders.

"ANSWER ME, DAMNIT!"

Jude flinched and instinctively closed her eyes, a few tears falling. "I...Alvin...I'm sorry..."

Alvin's eyes softened, and he made Jude sit up before embracing her tightly. "I wasn't strong enough, damnit! I just don't want..."

"It's okay. I understand."

Alvin still wasn't satisfied. "Jude, I want you to promise me 3 things, alright? One, get stronger, because I won't always be there to protect you. Two, don't die. Please. And three, find a nice guy that'll take care of you. Please, just do it for...for me."

Jude nodded. "Okay. I promise. I-"

"TEEPO!"

"What the-BWAAH!" Alvin fell to the ground due to Teepo tackling him in the face. Afterwards, Teepo grew large and sat on top of Alvin, effectively squishing him to the point where he couldn't move.

"Yay! Big fat liar Alvin is down!" cheered Elize, who had just entered the room moments ago.

"E-Elize!" exclaimed Jude, shocked as her jaw dropped.

"Gah...help..." muttered Alvin, under the giant Teepo.

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**Well...that was one way to ruin the mood. Read and review!**


	26. Maid

**I know a LOT of you were dying for this chapter, so here goes!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

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"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Can someone explain to me what's going on?!" demanded Leia, not taking anymore of the silence. The entire group was inside Driselle's mansion that morning, watching as Jude and Alvin were playing a long, quiet game of chess.

"Alright, let me explain," said Rowen. "You see, both have made a bet about half an hour ago. If Jude had won the chess game, then Alvin would be forced to serve as her butler for one full day. However, if she lost, well, she'd have to be a maid to him for one day."

"What?! Why couldn't they agree on something else?! That-"

"Checkmate," declared Alvin proudly, placing his chess piece in place.

"...WHAAAAT?!" Everyone exclaimed.

"W-wow...I'm surprised..." admitted Jude, blinking. "You actually managed to win a game without cheating, and I thought you would."

_'Actually, I did cheat. But no way in Hell am I saying it outloud,' _thought Alvin, being laidback. "Well, you know what this means, Judie."

"If you're going to be a maid for one day, I know the perfect clothes for you!" squealed Driselle, grabbing Jude by the arm and starting to drag her to upstairs.

"H-hey! Wait!"

"I'm coming too!" declared Leia, following both girls upstairs along with Elize.

Milla got curious and crossed her arms. "Hmm...Alvin? May I ask a question?"

"Sure."

"So, according to the books I've read, a maid is like my handmaid, only as a female version. However, there are stories where a maid and her master love each other and get along well. Are you the same?"

If Alvin and Rowen had water, they would have spitted it out immediantly. "W-what?! No! That can be different!" exclaimed Alvin. _'I knew I shouldn't have taken her to the bookstore.' _

"Yes," agreed Rowen, holding onto Alvin's shoulder. "Besides, Alvin is only master for one day. And, if he commands anything wrong..." The old man squeezed Alvin's shoulder as tightly as possible, and despite his age, Alvin felt like his bones were slowly cracking in some sort of torture way. "Well, never mind. Well, Milla? Will you help me buy some food for our journey?"

Milla nodded. "Very well."

As soon as Rowen released Alvin, the mercenary clutched his shoulder, mouthing 'ow' to himself. "You're not going to stay here?"

Rowen stopped, not turning his head. "Oh, don't worry about that. I have Leia to trust."

_'Damnit, I forgot about her,' _cursed Alvin as Rowen and Milla left the mansion. He then heard light footsteps approaching down the stairs, and as soon as he turned around, he couldn't help but gaze and drool at the sight.

Jude was dressed in a light black maid's dress that went down to her knees that had a black ribbon on her pocket, a fancy white dress shirt underneath her dress with long sleeves, a white ribbon on the collar of her dress shirt, fancy black shoes with white stockings, and a pink accessory hairclip was attached to the right side of her head. If anything, she looks 100% percent cute and beautiful. (Just look at the picture profile for the story on the top left, and you'll see the picture.)

"Hey! Hey, Alvin! Stop drooling!" called out Elize, snapping him back to reality. Alvin blinked and wiped the drool off his chin and mouth with his sleeve.

Driselle giggled. "Oh, don't worry, Elly! Guys are like that when they find a girl attractive!"

"H-hey! I didn't say anything!" said Alvin.

"Elly, how about we go shopping? There's this cute new bag I wanna buy you!"

"Really? Okay!" agreed Elize, taking Driselle's hand and exiting the mansion, leaving only Jude, Alvin, and Leia alone in the mansion. The rest of the maids were already out for a day off, so it was just those three.

"So uh...what are your first orders, Alvin?" asked Jude shyly, a pink blush appearing in her face due to her having thoughts of what Alvin might do.

The first thing Alvin was going to order her to do was to let him touch her waist, but he immediantly changed his mind the second he saw Leia take out her staff with such a scary expression. He swallowed his pride and cleared his throat. "Well, for starters, you can just call me, 'Master.'"

"Y-yes, Master."

Good, at least Leia allowed him to command that order. "Hmm...think you could turn around?"

"Yes, Master." After she turned around, Alvin could see how long the skirt was, which wasn't really that long, but more importantly, how it covered up her rear. If Leia wasn't here, he could already have his hands on her waist, him pinching that soft, sweet rear just to feel it and hear her cute squeak.

Alvin couldn't help but say, "You know, I like how that skirt's so short on you-OW!"

Leia had whacked him hard on the head with her head the instant she heard him say that, fire burning in her eyes as she clutched her staff so tightly, she might be able to break it in half.

Jude's cheeks flushed more red as she tugged down her skirt to not show anything up her area. It was bad enough that she had to wear a skirt, but she wondered why skirts were even made for girls? The shortness was one of the reasons why she hated wearing skirts.

"Hey, so can you go upstairs and see if you can uh...clean anything?" suggested Alvin.

"Okay, Master." As Jude was walking up the stairs, Alvin tried to take a peek up her skirt and found that she was wearing shorts underneath to hide her underwear.

_'Damnit! I'm guessing Leia had a part in this!' _Alvin got up and said, "Yeah, I'm just gonna follow her-"

"Oh no you won't!" said Leia, pulling him back by the ear. "You're staying here, and that's that!"

Alvin sighed before calling out, "Wait, Jude! Could you come back? I have a new assignment!"

"C-coming!" Jude rushed down as soon as she could, arriving in front of Alvin. "What is it, Master?"

"Well..." Alvin motioned Jude to come closer with his finger, and as soon as she did, he whispered something in her ear.

"B-but Master, I can't..."

Alvin crossed his arms, frowning. "Oh? Aren't maids supposed to obey their masters? And it's not like it going to hurt her...much."

Jude nodded. "Alright. Leia? Could you follow me?"

Curious, Leia nodded as she and Jude walked towards a different room. Alvin smiled with satisfaction as he heard Leia's yelps and yells as well as other loud sounds. By the time Jude had returned, she was exhausted, her hair ruffled up a bit, her maid's dress a bit dusty, and her head looked like it was whacked a few times.

"Master...? Why did you tell me to lock Leia in the closet?"

"Mainly because she was annoying," replied Alvin, laying back against the sofa. "Now, if you want to rest, you can."

Jude sighed in relief. "Thank you, M-"

"On one condition. You have to sit next to me. And I get to touch you all I want until you're fully rested."

Jude flustered red at the thought, but kept quiet. If she didn't accept the condition, who knows what might Alvin do! Besides, she needed to rest!

Therefore, Jude sat down next to the gentlemen mercenary as politely as she could. She then yelped when Alvin wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, causing her to blush red. Alvin leaned in closer to Jude's hair and smelled the soft, sweet fragrance of orange and apples mixed together, satisfied.

They stayed like that for about 5 minutes before Jude got up. "I-I'm fully rested now!"

Alvin pouted, wanting to stay like that for a little bit longer. "Alright, alright. I'm thristy, so could you go get me some water?"

Jude nodded, scrambling to get to the kitchen as fast as she could. Alvin laid back against the sofa, listening to Leia's faint yells and whatever sounds she was making. He didn't know when Rowen, Milla, or any of the girls would return, but the next thing he was going to do to cute Jude was-

**CRASH! **"KYA!" A sudden, loud crash was heard in the kitchen, along with a scream. Worried, Alvin rushed into the kitchen, thinking something bad must have happened. When he entered, he was taken aback by the mess Jude made, which shattered pieces of glass were everywhere.

Jude was sitting on the ground, embarrassedly hanging her head. She seemed to be clutching her hand, and trying to avoid Alvin's gaze. "I...I'm sorry! I'll go clean this up!"

"No, wait!" Alvin grabbed her arm, stopping her as he kneeled down in front of her. "Jude, let me see your hand."

"Huh?" Reluctantly, Jude obeyed and showed her hand, and one of her fingers had a deep cut on it, dripping small drops of blood. Alvin made a 'tch' sound, not disgusted with her, but upset because she had a cut this deep. Quickly, he placed her wounded finger in his mouth and began to gently lick the wound.

Jude flinched at the action, but for some reason, began to enjoy it as she felt his tongue swirling around her wet finger. Alvin couldn't help but feel warm, even while licking her bleeding wound to make the blood go away. He managed to place a hand on her waist, and was about to bring her closer...

**WHAM! **The kitchen door slammed open, and several gasps filled the room, causing Alvin to pull back and release Jude's finger. Both turned and saw Milla, Elize, Driselle, and an enraged Leia and Rowen at the door.

"Jude and Alvin just made looove!" Teepo teased.

"T-Teepo!" cried out Elize.

"Oh my. Should we have come back later?" asked Driselle, trying to hold back the grin she was making.

"I-I should clean up the mess! Excuse me!" blurted out Jude, getting up and running to get some cleaning supplies.

"Wait! Judie!~" called out Alvin, desperately calling out for her only to fail as Leia and Rowen began to drag him away by grabbing his feet. "No, no, no! Wait, I didn't mean-GAAAAH!"

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**I love this chapter! One of my favorites! Read and review, and give me some ideas for a butler Alvin!**


	27. Butler

**This is an alternate chapter where Jude won the chess bet instead of Alvin! Also, thanks Yu-Gi-Oh-Lover25, Mr. Hachi-Roku and all others who helped me out on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

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"Checkmate," declared Jude, placing her chess piece in the correct spot.

"..." Alvin was stunned that he lost, even though he used his best cheating techniques! He couldn't believe that he, a skilled and strong mercenary, was defeated by a mere chess game!

"Alvin! You know what that means!" cheered Leia, grabbing him by the arm.

"W-what?! No! I want a rematch!"

"Apologies, but not rematches," stated Rowen, dragging Alvin from his chair by his arms, heading straight for a room. As soon as they, or rather, Rowen dragged a protesting Alvin to the room, he quickly shut and locked the door.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..." While the girls were waiting in awkward silence, they were startled by the noises and sounds they heard inside.

"GAAH! WHAT ARE YOU-?! NO, NOT THERE!"

"Keep still!"

"HOW CAN I WHEN-YIKES!"

_'What are they even doing there?!' _thought the girls, sweatdropping and somewhat not knowing what was going on. About a few more minutes later, the door opened, and Rowen stepped out first, but afterwards, a newly dressed Alvin came and nearly caused the girls to squeal at his appearance.

Alvin's usually spiky hair was pulled back and shortened to make it more attractive and straight, no bangs at his forehead. He was wearing a professional, butler suit with white gloves along with shining black shoes. He had a smile on, but others could tell it was forced since he was struggling to walk in his tight suit.

Jude's heart started beating faster and faster as her face was blushing pink, causing her to glance down at her feet. Alvin was already handsome and attractive with his usual attire, but since he was dressed so fancy, it brought his handsome level up a new level.

"Ahem! Since Alvin has lost the bet, he is now forced to become Jude's butler for a day," announced Rowen. "Isn't that right, Alvin?"

"Yeah. Ow! What was that for, old man?" asked Alvin, rubbing his cheek where Rowen had pulled onto.

Rowen got in close to him and whispered such sinister words to his ear. "Oh, consider that a bit of a warning, Alvin. If you try anything inappropriate or wrong to 'Mistress' Jude, then I shall be forced to use the butler's code of punishment, and I recommend that you do not follow this punishment. Now, please act like a butler, as I have taught you."

Alvin gulped before nodding his head. Then, he realized something. "Hey, wait! That wasn't teaching! You were forcing me to remember those rules while whip-"

"AND, butlers must always show the elderly respect, never swear, but must always act polite towards others."

_'Someday, that old man will die a horrible, horrible, death. And considering his age, it might not be that far,' _thought Alvin, growling in his throat.

"Um...Alvin?" spoke up Jude shyly, bringing Alvin's attention to her. She was glancing down, rubbing the sole tip of her shoe against the floor as her arms were behind her back. "You don't have to go through the bet if you don't want to. It was just a stupid bet after all."

If anything, Jude looked more adorable than ever. Alvin walked up to her and lifted up her chin with one hand, soft, brown eyes meeting her timid, golden ones. "It's alright, Jude. I-OW!"

Alvin collapsed to the ground after being handchopped on the head by the expert, older butler, Rowen. "Two mistakes, Alvin. One, you NEVER touch your own mistress unless she gives you permission to. And second, you always call her by 'Mistress' or 'milady.'"

"Ow...got it..." groaned Alvin, giving a weak thumbs up. Everyone else except Jude, who was frantically worried about the fallen Alvin, were slightly amused and couldn't wait to see how this would result into.

For the next few hours, Alvin haven't done anything, to his relief, because Jude didn't give him any orders or any demands. She was just too good-hearted and kind to be that sort of person. However, during those hours, Alvin was forced to endure painful experiences with Rowen on how to be a proper butler, which was the definition of hell for him.

Jude was sitting in a couch in the dining room, reading a simple medical book when she saw an exhausted Alvin and a happy-to-go Rowen approaching her way. "Oh! Alvin! Are you okay?"

Alvin was about to casually say, "Yeah, nothin' I can handle," when he saw the glare Rowen was giving him, making him reconsider his words. This gave him an idea as he smiled, straightened up his back, and speak politely, "Yes, milady. How may I help you today, Your Loveliness?"

Jude's pink face went extremely red, making her hide her face into the book she was reading. "N-nothing for now!"

Rowen was impressed by Alvin's sudden change of tone, but a bit more concerned and frowned. _'I will admit, he is getting good, but that compliment he made at the end still bugs me...' _

_'Ha! It worked! I can give compliments and somewhat flirt with her without Rowen even knowing!' _thought Alvin successfully. He cleared his throat and asked gently, "Would you like something to eat, _mademoiselle?" _

Now the new nickname was starting to make Jude's face burn up, especially the way how he said it. "N-no! I'm fine!" The growling in her stomach said otherwise.

Honestly, Alvin wanted to pinch her tiny cheeks in such a cute way, but he knew he had to compose himself since Rowen was right next to him. With a rapier. Fully unsheathed.

Luckily, Rowen spoke up. "I shall prepare the tea and scone cakes for the milady. Alvin, come with me so you shall serve them as soon as I finish them." Not wanting for an answer, Rowen grabbed the youthful man by the arm and dragged him to the kitchen.

Jude tried to focus on reading her book, but the thoughts of Alvin in such a lovely butler suit filled her mind. She shook her head and closed her eyes to get the memory out, squinting her eyes just so she could read the words on the book one by one.

Soon, as Alvin approached Jude, wearing the stiff suit he was forced to wear, he carried the tray with freshly made tea and cakes. He suddenly began smirking as an idea entered his head. Setting the tray on the table, he picked up the cup and saucer, about to hand it to Jude when he let it fall, landing on her lap. Jude let out a shriek as Alvin feigned shock. Without a moment's hesitation, he picked up Jude in his arms and began carrying her to the stiars to one of the bedrooms.

"W-What are you doing, Alvin?!" Jude questioned, blushing furiously.

Alvin put on the most serious face he could manage. "We have to get you out of these tea spilled clothes, milady. Please forgive my rudeness," he simply stated, continuing up the way to the bedroom, closing the door behind them.

Alvin palced Jude down on the bed in the bedroom, then began inspecting where the tea had spilled. Smirking, he looked up at Jude, who was flustered. "W-what?"

"My apologies, milady, but I'm going to have to strip you entirely to put you into fresh clothing," Alvin apologized, trying to sound sincere. Jude's blush became even more redder as Alvin began undoing the zippers and buttons on her blue and black overcoat. Undoing them, he tossed away the overcoat and made it to her last layer of clothing before her underwear.

"T-there's no need for you to do that, Alvin! I-I can change myself!" Jude squeaked, her face burning. Alvin chuckled, smirking up to her.

"But it's a butler's duty, and I am one hell of a butler," he replied, seeing that Jude had no argument to it. She didn't know what a butler's duty was so she couldn't correct him.

Just as Alvin was about to pull off her top and reveal her underwear, the door opened, and Rowen stood there, frowning and his eye twitching. Alvin gulped, seeing Rowen walk in and grab his ear. Alvin winched, muttering 'ows' as he was dragged away from Jude.

"Please forgive Alvin, milady. I shall scold the young butler accordingly to the butler's code of punishment," Rowen apologized, making Alvin freeze in panic. What was the butler's code of punishment? He had a feeling he was about to find out.

Just seconds after he and Rowen left the bedroom, Jude flinched whenever she heard screams and begging coming from the handsome butler mercenary. In a hurry, she took a quick shower and changed into new clothing, wearing a red and pink overcoat similar to her other dirty overcoat, only different colors.

When she was finished, she came face-to-face with a tired, and slightly injured Alvin. "Alvin! Are you okay?! What happened?"

"...You don't wanna know."

Needless to say, Jude was speechless.

* * *

**Whew! The best I could conjure up! Read and review!**


	28. Jealousy

**I know you guys were waiting for the whole, 'Alvin gets jealous' part, so here it is!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of XIllia, only the OCs! **

* * *

Alvin was furious.

No, he was seething with both anger and confusion. He couldn't understand how a cute and innocent-minded girl like Jude could attract so many other males-well, actually, he did know since he was also attracted to her, but other males made him so infuriated.

The first guy who kinda tried to make a move on her was Driselle's older brother, now what was his name? Oh yeah, Cline. He was part of some Rashugal royal family, and he was much younger and handsome, not to mention polite to everyone.

When they first met him, he was kind to everyone, and Alvin was starting to like him. That is, until he bent down on one knee, kissed Milla's hand, and then Jude's hand, simply stating it was a sign of affection. It was possibly natural for a royal gentleman such as him.

Needless to say, Alvin was _so _close to shooting the guy in the heart, until someone else did it.

Next, was Gaius, king of Auj Oule. Just how, how was it that he, a king only dedicated to his people, actually managed to win Jude's affections? Well, possibly because he managed to save Jude from one or two attacks from Exodus and she was thankful for it.

Alvin just couldn't believe it. What did Gaius have that he didn't have? Well, besides being handsome, a respective king that has time for his people, a strong swordsman, and a kind, yet strict person. Other than that, he's got nothing on him!

And then, there were other men possibly a bit worse than Alvin himself. There was one time when he and his group had to sneak into the Rashugal Palace so they could confront Nachtigal, but they had to be disguised as servants or guards because charging in would be suicide.

Some soldiers tried to flirt with Jude, who was disguised as a maid, and when one tried to touch her bottom, Alvin, who was disguised as a soldier, reached his limit and threatened the guy with a gun. Of course, if it hadn't been for Jude, he'd probably already shot all the soldiers, but at the same time, it blew their covers and they nearly gotten killed if the others haven't arrived. Afterwards, Alvin kept a close eye on Jude every time a man talked to him, even if it was a small boy.

And then, there was Ivar.

One day, when the group had split up and decided to rest in Auj Oule for a day, he spotted a flustered Ivar and Jude chatting to each other, but he was so far away, he couldn't tell what they were saying. However, jealously filled his heart as Alvin saw them walking away.

Together.

Holding hands.

Jude taking the lead.

Alvin wanted to run up to them, punch Ivar in the face, and carry Jude away, but the last time he did something similar to them, Jude scolded him and threatened to kinda lie to Leia and Rowen that he hurted her if he ever did that. And he didn't want to know what sort of punishments they had in store for him. So, he could only think of one thing.

He needed Leia and Rowen's help.

* * *

_Later... _

"Uh...I'm sorry, what?" questioned Leia as Rowen started coughing in his drink.

Alvin sighed, ruffling the back of his hair. "I need you help. Ivar and Jude are g-going out together, and I want your help in helping me spy on them."

"You never ask for our help," said Rowen, who managed to calm down before sipping his tea.

"Yeah! Besides, you could be lying! Why would Ivar go out with Jude anyways? They barely know each other!" said Leia.

"What if I told you they were holding hands?"

It took one second for the two to agree.

For the rest of the day, the trio had to follow and spy on Jude and Ivar, who seemed to be enjoying themselves. For some strange reason, they kept visiting art museums, art stores, and even a small art festival happening. The trio were very close to nearly unleashing artes on Ivar, especially Alvin.

At the end of the day, when it was around sunset, they saw Ivar waving goodbye to Jude before leaving. That was when they marched out of their hiding spots and towards Jude. "Jude!" They all yelled.

Jude was taken aback by their outburst. "W-whoa! What are you guys doing here?"

"We should be asking the same thing!" shouted Alvin.

"Yeah! Why were you dating Ivar?" demanded Leia.

"Explain, please!" said Rowen.

"B-but...but I..." As the three were ganging up on her, Jude suddenly looked like a small chibi about to cry in a corner. "I...*sniff* I..."

"Jude!" called out Elize, running towards her. "Everyone's here! What's going on?" However, Jude was too much of a crying mood to answer.

Teepo angrily turned to the trio, who managed to calm down. "Hey! Hey! Why'd you make Jude cry?! Anyone who makes her cry has to face me!:

Elize got concerned and asked gently, "Jude, are you okay? Did Ivar give the painting to Milla yet?"

_'What?' _thought Alvin, Rowen and Leia. Alvin turned to Elize and asked, "Uh...what are you talking about, Elize?"

"Didn't you know? Ivar asked for Jude's help to helping him find his artistic talent so he could paint a painting for Milla in exchange that he would be nicer to her. So, she took him to all the art exhibits and told me."

"..." The three of them were stunned. They had it completely wrong, and here they thought Jude was actually dating the Milla fanboy jerk! They all turned to Jude, who was still crying because she was harshly scolded.

"Ahaha...sorry, Jude," apologized Leia.

Rowen sighed, ashamed of himself. "My deepest apologies. A man must never make a lady cry, and I have broken that rule."

Alvin panicked, wondering what to say than just a simple apology. If there was one thing he hated, it was making girls cry. However, he did learn a small technique to make girls like her cry, and it always, ALWAYS worked.

First, he bent down to her level, and embraced her, making her face collide with his chest. Jude stopped crying, her tears soaking in his coat as she started hiccuping. Alvin brought his face close to her ear and whispered in a husky voice, "Sorry, but I didn't-GAH!"

Rowen and Leia, with angry glinting eyes, started pulling Alvin away by the back collar of his jacket, both with the intention of punishing him. "GAH! WAIT! I WAS TRYING TO MAKE HER FEEL BETTER! DAMNIT, GUYS!"

"..." Jude turned to Elize and asked, "You...want ice cream?"

"Huh? Sure!"

* * *

**HAHAHA! Nice one, huh? Read and review!**


	29. Misunderstanding (Part 2)

**Here we go! Part two of our little misbehaving friends!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs!**

* * *

"AAAH! ALVIN! KYA!"

"Hold still-! Jeez, you're all over the place!"

"Uh...Milla? What are you doing?" asked Leia to Milla, who was leaning against a door, curiously listening to the strange noises Alvin and Jude were making.

"Hmm? Well, I heard Jude and Alvin making such particular noises, but I didn't want to interrupt their private meeting, so I stayed and listened, trying to figure out what they were doing."

"Wait, let me check." Leia had a feeling she encountered this situation before as she pressed her ear against the wooden door.

"AHAAHA! A-ALVIN! Q-QUIT IT!"

"Oh? But you look like you're having fun. And why would I even stop?"

'AAHH!"

_'The hell?!' _thought Leia, her face turning red as a bit of blood dripped from her nose. The last time she had been in this situation, it was all a simple misunderstanding since Jude, Alvin, and Elize were really giving out massages to each other. But, people massaging don't usually give out screams.

"May I ask what's going on?" Rowen came up to the two girls suspiciously. When Rowen bent down and heard all the screams coming from the next room, it didn't take him long to realize what was wrong. "By the Gods, what are they up to?"

"Hmm...it seems that they are partipating in a human activity," theorized Milla. "Perhaps...tickling?"

_'Way far off!' _both Leia and Rowen thought. Actually, due to those sounds, they could only come up with one possibility, and it wasn't a good one. Oh, considering the situation, that was _never_ a good one.

Leia must have known what Rowen was thinking the moment he tried to unsheath his rapier and try to charge in, because she grabbed his arm. "Hold on, Rowen! What if we're wrong like last time? And that ended up badly!"

Rowen stopped and reconsidered his decision, at least until he thought up of one more person. "Wait, wherever is Elize?"

"AAAH! A-ALVIN! D-DON'T DO THAT! AHAHAA!"

Everything was frozen to Leia and Rowen before they quickly turned to the door and listened _very_ closely. Cries were coming from both Jude and Elize, but none from Alvin, who was in the same room as them. Somehow, Teepo was enjoying this too since he was almost always with Elize.

"I LOVE THIS! WHOO HOO!" cheered Teepo.

_'How can anyone enjoy...that?!' _wondered Leia and Rowen. Both exchanged looks, giving each other nods on what they had to do. In a swift movement, both got out their weapons, knocking down the door in process, just like before.

Inside, Jude and Elize were on beds, but they still had their clothes intacted. The only difference was that their shoes and shoes weren't on, making their feet vulnerable. Alvin was fully clothed as well, and he had removed his gloves while his naked hands were on Elize's and Jude's feet.

"Aha! I was right! Alvin was doing the 'tickling' process with Jude and Elize!" said Milla, proud of herself.

"..." Rowen and Leia were dumbfounded once again. Instead of what they were expecting, they have found that Alvin had been playfully tickling the two girls' feet. Wait, why was he doing that?"

"W-what were you guys doing?" asked Leia, trying to hide her staff behind her back.

Elize and Jude both pointed to Alvin and accused loudly, "He started it!"

"Hey! Hey!" whined Alvin, surprised by their accusations. "That was...half true! We made a bet, and when they lost, they refused to go through the deal, so I had to tickle them to punish them! What are you guys doing?"

Rowen sighed, ashamed, but having to tell the truth for his elderly pride. "You see-"

"It was Milla's fault!" lied Leia, pointing to the oblivious spirit master. "She...wanted to know what was going on! So, she told us to break down the door!"

Even a kid could see that was an obvious lie.

"Right...now, why don't you leave us alone?" asked Alvin, motioning them to go away. "I still have to tickle punish them."

Rowen and Leia were close to leaving, but after seeing Elize and Jude's poutful, unhappy looks, they couldn't help themselves. "H-hey Jude! Let's go shopping!" Leia said, grabbing her best friend's hand and dragging her away.

"Elize, how about I treat you to some ice cream," suggested Rowen, taking the young girl's hand and leading her away as soon as possible.

"Hey wait! What about the bet?" cried out Alvin.

* * *

**Sorry if this is short, but the next one will be about one of the DLC costumes!**


	30. Swimsuits

**This is from the DLC swimstui factor, with some changes!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

"Ahh! The weather's great today!" cheered Leia, wandering around the beach in the Kijara Seafalls, her bare feet standing in the warm sand. She was wearing a sky blue two-piece swimsuit with blue wristbands, and her hair was tied in a high ponytail.

Elize nodded, entering the scene as well. Her hair was styled to be in a high bun, she wore an orangish-pinkish swimsuit while a pink swim tube was around her waist, and Teepo was floating right next to her as usual.

"Nice looks, ladies!" called out Alvin, arriving after preparing his swimsuit. He was mostly shirtless, but he had a pair of long dark swim trunks on.

"Lookin' good, Alvin!" commented Leia, placing her hands on her hips. "Now, where are the others?"

"I thought you knew? Well, I do know Rowen's still getting ready, but I'm sure that his swimsuit is gonna be sweet, even if he is an old geezer."

"Was anyone talking about me?" Rowen appeared in...very odd attire. His swimsuit garments didn't even look like male swimsuit clothing, more like underwear. Plus, he was wearing somewhat a white swimsuit vest, and for some reason, he also had an underwater helmet on.

"..."

"..."

"...Excuse me while I go puke," excused Alvin, leaving as quickly as possible.

"How do I look?" Everyone turned to Milla, and they had to admit, she was VERY attractive and beautiful at the same time. Her white bikini revealed a lot of her soft skin, but there was also a sunset-colored mini skirt attached to the lower part of her bikini. She wore matching heels, her long silky hair tied in a ponytail, and to top it off, a light beach hat on top of her head with a red flower.

"Wow...Milla's pretty!" gasped Elize, a little bit jealous at her beauty.

"Why, thank you. You're all pretty as well."

"Even me?" gasped Rowen, pretending to act dramatic, which almost caused Leia to gag at the thought of Rowen being 'pretty.'

Milla nodded, smiling and very oblivious to the human's side of beauty. "Yes. You look beautiful, Rowen."

_'Gotta get that image outta my head,' _thought Leia, repeating the thought over and over in her head.

Alvin finally returned with a pale look, wiping his mouth with his arm. He instantly felt better the moment he laid eyes on Milla. "Whoa! Look at you! I'd bet a lot of guys would hook up with you!"

Milla, who had no idea what that meant, nodded. "Thank you, Alvin. Nice swimsuit."

"Hey, where's Jude?" questioned Elize, looking around.

"Ah. She said she was too embarrassed to come out, so I suppose she'll come out later."

Alvin sighed. He knew Jude well enough that she doesn't like to show off her appearance, especially if it meant exposing skin since she was always the shy, timid type. He spoke up, "I'll go talk to her. Maybe-"

Then, Rowen grabbed his shoulder, his expression showing a very deadly smile of warning which sent shivers down Alvin's spine. "If you do that, I will have to do the butler's code of punishment."

That quickly changed Alvin's mind.

"I'll go look for her!" offered Leia, running off, leaving a curious Milla, a worried Elize, a happy Teepo, a panicking Alvin, and Rowen behind. It honestly didn't take long for Leia to find Jude, because she was practically dragging the girl by the arm, though she was protesting.

"L-Leia! I changed my mind! I don't wanna go swimming!"

"You're better at swimming than I am!"

"S-Still!"

Alvin would have checked Jude out if it weren't for the attire she was wearing. Jude's hair was let down to her shoulders, no longer held up by her low ponytails. The color of her swimsuit couldn't be identified due to her wearing a short-sleeved long swim vest jacket that reach down to her knees and was completely zipped up.

"Why's she wearing that?" asked Alvin.

Leia sighed, wiping away sweat from her neck. "She insisted! She really wants to cover herself up!"

"I-I can't help it!"

Milla tilted her head in confusion. "I don't quite understand. Leia, are you saying that you want Jude to take off her jacket, but you can't find a way?"

"Yes!" complained Leia.

'Then, the solution is simple." Saying that, Milla pulled out her scabbard and unsheathed her sword before walking towards a frightful Jude.

"A-ah Milla? What are you-?" Before Jude could finish, Milla expertly and carefully sliced the white vest jacket into tiny little pieces so that it was unusable, revealing Jude's red one-piece swimsuit.

"Milla! Eek!' squealed Elize, closing her eyes.

"KYA!" screamed Jude, covering herself despite the fact she was already covered. Alvin sweatdropped at Milla's dangerous way of forcing someone, but soon was mesmerized by Jude's cuteness in a swimsuit, even if she was covering herself.

"Come on! Let's go to the water!" said Leia, grabbing Jude's wrist and running towards the clear, blue ocean waters. Soon, everyone joined in and began to start having fun themselves, but most of them stayed away from Rowen due to obvious and new strange reasons.

"Ha ha! We got you, Alvin!" cheered Elize as she and Leia began to splash water at Alvin.

"Not so fast-!" grunted Alvin, splashing back big waves of water at the two girls.

"Ooh! That looks like fun!" commented Milla, gathering water artes. "Tidal Wave!"

The water started to gather up in one place, soon forming into a huge wave that probably reached the skies and was ready to collapse. "Take over!" shouted Rowen before diving down deep underwater.

Leia and Elize were fast enough to cast shield artes to help breath underwater, and Alvin quickly grabbed Jude, protecting her as the wave crashed down.

A few minutes later, everyone gasped for breath as they laid in the sandy beach, fully drenched. "That was fun!" laughed Milla.

"Fun?! We almost drowned!" complained Leia, freaked out.

"Alvin doesn't have a pulse!" cried out Elize, placing her head on Alvin's chest, not hearing any heartbeat.

"What?!" Worried, everyone gathered around the man, who had his eyes closed and didn't seemed to have been breathing.

"Quick, someone perform CPR on him!" ordered Leia, concerned.

"Why can't you do it, Leia?" asked Rowen, not willing to perform on the man.

"Because I don't know how to! Milla, what about you?"

"Hmm...what is CPR?"

"GAH!"

"Okay! Okay! I'll do it!" shouted Jude, bending down. Just when she was about to lean down and perform the technique, Teepo beat her to it and chomped on Alvin's face, using his ability to absorb energy, as well as water, from Alvin. If he could absorb energy from enemies, it would be easy for him to absorb a bit of water too.

When Alvin regained consciousness, it didn't take him long to realize Teepo was on his face. His cries were muffled as he tried to yank the booster off him, which he succeeded moments later. "What happened?!"

Rowen was more than happy to tell him. "Well, it appears that Teepo has performed CPR on you."

"Wait, what?! That means...GAH!"

"Wait, isn't CPR technically mean kissing?" wondered Milla.

"My first kiss was stolen by Alvin?" gasped Teepo, shocked.

"STOLEN?! That should be my line!" complained Alvin, pinching his nose. "Gah...I'm so gonna have nightmares about this. Out of all the people I kissed, one of them HAD to be a stuffed toy."

* * *

**Well, seeing that Alvin was a mercenary and he was up to lots of shady things, it's safe to say that he already had his first kiss. Read and review for another DLC next chapter!**


	31. School Theme

**In the next DLC chapter, this one is all about the school, so I made up a chapter based off the DLC costumes everyone had! Personally, I thought Leia's was the best, because it fitted a cute girl's school uniform for someone like her, but Elize is cute too! Special thanks to YuGiOh-Lover25 and all those who helped me in this DLC chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

"S-senpai! I like you a lot! Will you go out with me?"

"E-eh?!" Jude blinked, face turning red as a boy one year younger than her kneeled down on one knee, presenting a bouquet of blue flowers to her. This wasn't the first time that any other guy asked her out, but he was the first to ask without Leia, or any of her other friends around!

The boy looked older than her, despite being younger than her, and he was a bit more taller, wore glasses, and looked like your every-day kind of geek. He had a small crush on Jude for a while, and when she was alone today, he wanted to try to get to know her.

Jude was also like a geek, but a very cute and pretty one, at that. She wore black glasses, the traditional female school uniform, only she had leggings under her skirt, and red flower pins at one side of her hair, making her an adorable schoolgeek.

"I-I know we don't know much, and this is probably the first time we've talked, but can we still date?"

Jude let a small smile form on her face, and sighed, trying to sugarcoat her words as much as she could. "I'm...sorry, but I don't even know you. Uh...maybe if we became friends? I'm just not interested in love right now."

The boy sighed, feeling rejection as he stood up. "Well, it was worth a try. But, here, at least take these. It's alright, I understand. I'll see you, senpai!" After handing the bouquet to Jude, he walked off somewhere with a sad look.

Jude glanced at her watch, learning that lunch break was almost over as she hurried to her locker to gather her stuff for the next class. As she was collecting her neccessary items, she heard footsteps and turned around to see her three best and only friends, Leia, Milla, and Elize walking her way.

The three of them were three of the most popular students in school, due to their reputation or appearance. Leia was an outspoken, cheerful, proud cheerleader that always raises people's spirits and also showed to be very protective of Jude, beating up any nasty boys that try to flirt or date with her. She was wearing the same female uniform like Jude, but her hair was tied up in a ponytail.

Elize was considered the cutest, and youngest student in school. How she even managed to get to such a smart and expensive school as this, nobody can really tell, but she was as smart as Jude, and luckily, no one would date her due to fear of being a pedophile. Since the female uniform size was too big for Elize, they had to resort to her wearing a small white sailor uniform, and she always carried Teepo around with her.

Finally, Milla was one of the toughest, punkest, and most popular student of them all. Her spiky blond hair with green highlights was tied in some sort of ponytail bun, and she was a senior in the school, so she wore the senior school uniform for girls. Anyone who messed with her or her friends, they would have to get past her first, and she's the kendo leader from the kendo club, so nobody wanted to deal with her.

"Hey, Jude! What's up?" asked Elize cheerfully, waving to her.

Leia saw the blue flowers in Jude's hands and immediantly went into overprotective mode. "Hey! Who gave you these flowers?! Tell me their name! I'll beat them up!"

Jude sweatdropped, knowing the solution was not going to be good and most likely to give Leia a suspension...again. "N-no! No! I mean, the guy did give me the flowers and tried to ask me out, but I denied him! It's alright, Leia!"

"Hey, not to intrude or anything, but class is in a minute," spoke up Milla.

"EEEHHHH?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US SOONER?!"

"L-LET'S HURRY, LEIA!"

"OH NO! WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!"

* * *

_At class... _

After the bell had rung, the teacher, Mr. Svent, or rather, Alvin, was teaching class and writing things on the chalkboard when four girls, Milla, Jude, Elize, and Milla rushed in, panting for breath and ashamed they were late.

"You four are unusually late," spoke Alvin, turning to them. He had a green shirt on with a yellow tie and a white professor coat.

"W-we're sorry!" bawled Elize and Jude in a way that made a lot of the students in the classroom 'awwed' and glare at Alvin.

"It was my fault," sighed Milla, placing her hands on her hips in somewhat of an attractive way.

"...It was the unicorn's fault!" cried out Leia loudly. "Yeah, while we walking to class, we...got interrupted by a magical, rainbow unicorn ninja thing! And she likes...tacos and is allergic to...cats! And with the divine power of cats, we finally finished her off and made it class, but unfortunately, we were late! That was our excuse!"

"..." The class grew silent, staring at Leia like she had just grown a second head.

"...I'll...pretend I didn't hear that and let you girls sit this one out," said Alvin.

"Works every time!" cheered Leia as she and her best friends took their seats, shaking their heads in disbelief.

As class proceeded and everyone was working on their notes, Jude felt a wad of paper hit her head and land on her desk. Carefully, trying not to get caught, she unveiled the crumpled piece of paper and discovered it was a letter from Leia, due to her messy handwriting and the fact that she was using a fake penname.

**Hey, Jude! Love your cute hairpins! ~Cheerleadinglover~**

Jude sighed and wrote back, hoping that Leia would stop sending her notes for now. Just to be on the safe side, she used a fake name as well. **Leia, we're in the middle of class. Don't send any notes. ~Smartieheart~**

**Why not? It's boring! Besides, you've got a cute name! Maybe we should blog tonight! ~Cheerleadinglover~**

**Leia! Just talk to me after class! It's the last class of today anyways! ~Smartieheart~ **

Then, Jude felt another wad of paper land on her desk from a different direction, so, being the curious girl she was, she opened it up and found it was from Milla. **Jeez, quit sending each other letters! I'm in the back, and I can already see you two bloging each other! By the way, you wanna go to the pool after school? I have these new swimsuits you and Leia could wear. ~Milla~ **

"...And that concludes the first session," finished Alvin, putting down his supplies that he used for the chalkboard. Worried that he might turn around, see Jude with the notes, and get mad, Elize quickly snatched all the notes from Jude had since she was right next to her, and threw them to the guy next to her, Ivar.

Just like Elize predicted, Alvin did turn around, and the first thing he saw was Ivar with several notes on top of his desk. "Hey! Were you sending notes while I was teaching?"

"N-no!" A flustered Ivar turned to Elize and pointed to her. "She dumped these on my desk! Come to think of it, I wonder what they are." He took one of them, and, having a habit of reading outloud, read one. "'Jeez, quit sending each other letters! I'm in the back, and I can already see you two bloging each other! By the way, you wanna go to the pool after school? I have these new swimsuits you can Leia would wear. Milla.'"

A lot of the boys cheered for that and began to constantly chat with each other happily, something about the words, 'We should hang out in the pool,' or 'Babes in swimsuits? On it!'"

Twitching, Alvin took out a nail and scratched a long line in the chalkboard, making loud, squeaky sounds that caused everyone to cry out and cover their ears in agonizing pain. Afterwards, everyone had quiet down and nobody was in the mood to talk.

"Okay, now that everyone's shut up now...Ivar, detention after school."

"ME?! WHAT DID I DO?!"

"The notes, remember?"

"But I didn't even send them or write anything in them!"

"You know what? On second thought, detention for a week! Anymore objections?"

"..."

"Good!"

* * *

_After school... _

"Jude! Me and Milla are going to the new cafe now! Do you and Leia want to join us?" asked Elize politely.

Jude shook her head. "I can't because I missed what Mr. Svent taught us today due to _someone!" _She glared at Leia, who smiled sheepishly. "I have to hang out in the library due to an extra credit assignment and catch up, and as punishment, Leia has to join me."

"What a shame," said Milla. "We'll try to save you two cakes for later, alright?"

"Yay! Be sure to get me the strawberry shortcake kind!" cheered Leia, raising her hand before Milla and Elize left. "Oh, by the way, what about your grandpa, Jude?"

"Grandpa Rowen? Don't worry, he knows I'm staying after school for the extra credit assignment."

For the first few minutes they've been in the library, Leia was complaining about how she didn't understand any of the books and left to another section of the library to get one of her favorite books to read as a bit of a break.

Meanwhile, Jude was sitting at a desk, reading a book on physics. Meanwhile, her sneaky teacher, who seemed to dote on her a lot, was hiding behind a bookcase, watching her. Alvin chuckled to himself, seeing she was completely absorbed in her book. He walked the few steps between them, putting a hand on the table as he leaned forward, looking at Jude.

"Interesting book? Alvin asked, catching Jude's attention finally as she looked up to him. Alvin smirked down at her, causing Jude to blush a little and close the book, but not before taking note of the page number she was on.

"Is there something I can help you, sir?" Jude asked politely, seeing Alvin smirk and lean in closer.

"Hmm...I dunno...you know, I heard rumors of you admiring me, and I don't mean it in just a respectful way, I mean in..._that _way, too," Alvin stated, smirking slyly as he saw Jude leaning back a little her cheeks flaring red as she glanced down at her feet to avoid eye contact.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about, sir! Besides, lots of other girls admire you like that sir!"

"Yeah, but you attract me in a different way than those girls," flirted Alvin, lifting up Jude's chin with a finger and closing in closer. Jude's mind was telling her to stop this, but her body was urging him to close in the distance.

"ATTAAACCCK!" Leia exclaimed, running up to Alvin before he quickly pulled back and backed away in fear. He cringed when he saw Leia's handful of books raise up. Jude closed her eyes, cringing as she heard multiple whacks and screams from Alvin. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Alvin on the ground, being dragged away by Leia.

"Jude! Help me!" Alvin called out, but all Jude could do was smile awkwardly and wave goodbye to him. As soon as Jude was finished with her extra credit assignment, she walked out of the school library and started searching for Leia, before bumping into Alvin.

"O-Oh! Mr. Svent! I-I'm sorry!" apologized Jude, bowing her head.

"You know, you could just call me Alvin," he said. Alvin had some bandages wrapped around his head, and a few bandages in his face, possibly due to Leia's brutal assault on him.

"A-also, about the notes Ivar had...they were written by me, Leia, and Milla," confessed Jude, looking bad. Even if someone was blamed for her actions, she couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Huh...oh well. Ivar's done with his detention for today anyways. Just a few more days till his sentence is done."

"A-Alvin!"

"Alright! Alright! I'll cut him a break...if you do one single favor for me, Judie."

Jude looked annoyed, wondering what sort of perverted and flirtious fantasies was stuck in such a man. "As long as it's nothing inapproripate."

"All you have to do is close your eyes, and I promise I won't touch you."

Confused, Jude complied and heard Alvin crotching down a little, making her more confused. "...Alvin? What are-" Then, she felt softness on the side of her cheek, and, knowing what it was, blushed red, making her open her eyes and blush red. "A-Alvin!"

The teacher chuckled, winking at her. "I promised not to touch you, but nothing about kissing your cheek. See ya tommorow, honors student."

"A-Alvin! Wait!"

* * *

**Hahaha! This was some fun! You guys have any ideas what chapter I should do next? Read and review!**


	32. Scary

**Hehe! Halloween's almost here, but before I do any Halloween specials, I wanna do some more themes before we get to the Halloween part! Thanks to all those who helped me with this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

"You know what we should do? Tell scary stories!" suggested Leia happily, one night during camping.

"Stories? Why?" asked Alvin.

"Because I'm bored? Besides, there's nothing else to do, and some of us aren't even sleepy yet!"

"Hmm...if that's the case, I want to start," said Milla, speaking up. "Now, I heard scary stories are usually supposed to be scary and full of horror, correct?"

"Yes, that is correct," said Rowen, stroking his beard.

"We're really going to do this?" wondered Jude, a bit interested of what Milla's story was going to be.

"Very well." Milla cleared her throat before announcing the beginning of her story. "Once upon a time, there was a terrible king named...Nachtigal!"

Everyone sweatdropped, knowing full well that this story was made up and going to result pretty bad for Milla. Still, they decided to let her speak.

"And, he did the most terrible thing possible! He stoled the most delicious apple pie in the world! But, with the power of Maxwell, I finally suceeded in defeating the evil man and taking back the pie! The end!"

Okay, now everyone knew that wasn't even close to a scary story.

"...Milla?" spoke up Jude kindly. "That...wasn't a scary story. More of a adventure story."

"Really? But it seemed scary to me."

_'When it comes to food, never let Milla mess around with it,' _noted Alvin to himself. "Okay, who's next?"

"Me! Me!" cheered Leia, raising her hand. "Okay, hehehehe..."

"Uh...I don't like where this is going," commented Jude, hearing Leia's low creepy laugh.

"Knowing Leia, of course it isn't," sighed Alvin. "What kind of 'mysterious story' you've got for us?"

"Okay! Okay! I've got a good one!" said Leia excitedly. She cleared her throat before speaking very lowly. "Deep within these woods...there was a house that was suppoedly abandoned. But one day, a boy by the name of Al-...er, I mean, yeah! Al! His name was Al!"

Alvin got annoyed as a tick mark formed. He knew full well what Leia was about to say. But, he didn't say a thing and let Leia continue. She was so gonna pay for this later, and he never lets an opportunity of revenge slip through his hands,

"So? What happened next?" asked Elize.

'Was he cute?" teased Teepo.

"Teepo!"

Leia laughed, shaking her head. "No, he was...hmm...what age should he be? Alvin! You choose!"

"Me? Hmm..." Knowing Leia, if Alvin picked a teen age or something much older, Leia might actually make his 'character' die in a cruel way just to satisfy herself. "...How about...5 years old?"

Leia pouted for a second before getting an idea. "Yeah! Okay! So, 5 year old Al entered the forest because he got lost trying to play with something, so, he found this house. Being the idiotic, yet cute boy he is, he entered inside."

"I'm not an idiot!" complained Alvin.

"Hmm? We're not talking about you, Alvin, remember?" reminded Elize.

"Yeah, we're talking about Al," added Jude.

_'You know, I can't tell if those two are just playing me or just being oblivious on all this,' _wondered Alvin, getting annoyed. "...Never mind. Keep going."

"Yeah! So, anyways, the little boy entered the house...when he saw this great and awesome and powerful warrior girl named...Lia!"

"Oh come on! That's just your name, only you replaced the 'e!'"

"Alvin!" scolded Jude. "It's her story! Deal with it!"

"But-!"

"Deal with it!"

"Grrr...!" Okay, not only was he getting revenge on Leia, but Jude was next! Just because Jude was so much nice and kind doesn't mean he was going to hold out his revenge on her too.

"As I was saying!" said Leia. "Al met Lia, when all of a sudden, tentacles sprouted from her back and attacked Al, thus killing him and spraying his blood all around the walls! From that forward, more and more victims were taken until finally, there was no trace of the house..."

"T-That was scary!" cried out Elize, hiding behind Teepo.

Alvin was disbeliefed. 'Seriously? SERIOUSLY?! I get killed off in the story?!"

"Hey! It could have been worse!" teased Leia, winking at him. "So, whose turn is it now How about you, Rowen?"

"Unforunately, I do not have any ideas for any stories at the moment. Besides, I do not wish to burden Lady Elize's mind any longer."

"Poor Al!" cried out Teepo, snuggling closer to Elize.

"I could go next," suggested Alvin, clearing his throat first before proceeding to tell the story. "In a vast, dark, spooky night, there were these two sibilings, one sister, and one brother. They were walking to their home when it suddenly started pouring, and thunder roared in the dark skies..."

"Whoa! A scary setting!" said Leia.

"Much more descriptive than the other two," said Jude, impressed.

"Oh! So that's what a scary story should be like!" replied Milla. "I'm already feeling chills! Please, continue, Alvin!"

"Alright...Suddenly, the weather was so bad, and it was too late out, so they decided to try and find a place to stay for the night. Luckily, there was a broken-down, but usable house nearby. The brother decided to go check inside to see if anyone was there, and so, his sister watched as he entered the house cautiously."

'Ooh...he shouldn't have done that!" muttered Leia, covering her mouth.

"And so, the sister waited, for a long time, drenched head to toe from the rain. Soon, she began to grow worried, so she entered the house in case something bad happened to her brother. When she got inside, she caught a scent of something horrible, and a flash of lightning gave her a glimpse, but she was able to see something like red paint sprayed all over the walls."

Jude realized what he was talking about. "Wait, what?!"

"Gaaah!" cried out Leia, throwing herself into Milla's arms.

Milla didn't seemed fazed by this, only more intrigued. "Interesting. Continue."

"Okay. Then, the sister tripped over something that was like a bowling ball and fell to the ground, splashing into something smelly and sticky. She licked her sticky fingers, recognizing the metal-like taste before picking up the bowling ball. The lightning provided enough time for her to realize it was the head of her brother! Before she could do anything, the last thing she saw was the glint of an axe blade in the incandescent light..."

"AAAAAAHHH!" screamed Elize, covering her ears.

"WAAAAAHHH!" Animated tears started pouring down Jude's face comically, making her bawl like a baby.

Rowen glared at Alvin, slowly getting his rapier out while Leia was still terrified of the story. Alvin, in a panic, pointed to a random direction and shouted, "Look! It's Gaius!"

Surprisingly, everyone turned to see where he was pointing before Alvin made a run for it.

* * *

_About an hour later... _

_'Whew! This is actually one of the few rare times I've escaped Rowen! Lucky me!' _thought Alvin, panting for breath. He spotted Jude sitting near a tree, reading a book, so he casually walked up to her.

Jude didn't seemed to hear any footsteps, until she heard someone say, "Yo." Still a bit frightened by the story, she screamed and began to tear up comically once more.

Alvin tried to calm her down by grabbing her shoulder gently while kneeling on the grass. "Whoa, whoa! It's just me! Not any scary axe guy!"

"S-sorry! But your story really scared me! I don't think I'll sleep well tonight..."

That was when it hit Alvin as he felt a sinister grin form in his face. "Hey, Jude? Do you know you could scare anyone?"

Jude looked up to him. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean, you, Jude, can scare anyone! Heck, even me, sometimes!" Alvin turned and saw Leia walking nearby, rubbing her staff with a cloth. "Hey, try and scare Leia, and I'll hide!"

"But..." Jude glanced at her hands. "I don't wanna scare Leia. And, I don't think I look scary."

Alvin sighed, and pulled out some fake devil horns from his pocket before placing them on top of Jude's petite head. "There, you're scary. Now, go get them!" Alvin stood up and hid behind some bushes, getting a knife and a banana ready for preparation.

Jude gulped before standing up to face Leia, who was approaching her way. "Um...Roar!" Jude jumped in front of Leia, raising her hands up in the air and trying to make the scariest face she could conjure. To Alvin, it was just so adorable.

Leia looked up before smiling. "Oh, hi Jude!"

"Roar!"

The staff wielder just laughed. "Oh, that was just so cute! Do it again!"

Jude tried to look more imitating, and clawed at the air. "Rawr!"

"Haha! So cute, Jude!~"

"Roar!"

"Haha...hah...uh..." Leia's laugher died down when she noticed Alvin behind Jude, who was still trying to look scary. Alvin took out the banana he was planning to use, indicating it was the victim, before getting out a knife and swiftly cutting it in half, as if imitating an axe.

"AAAAAAHHHH!" Leia let out such a girlish scream before making a break for it, remembering the axe atory Alvin had told her. Jude gasped, surprised, before jumping up and down cheerfully. Meanwhile, Alvin hid behind the bushes before Jude could see him.

"I did it! I did it!"

Alvin had already put away his supplies before approaching Jude. "So, what happened, Jude?"

"I did it, Alvin! I can scare anyone! Yay!"

The mercenary chuckled, feeling a warm and good feeling inside. "Yup, sure can, kiddo."

* * *

**That was so adorable! Next chapter will be about Halloween! Stay tune!**


	33. Halloween Special!

**Alright! In time for Halloween! Thank you all who's supported me and helped me make this chapter by suggesting costume ideas! Like Pikapikaluv!**

**Also, the costumes the others are wearing are listed like this: Jude being Yuri, Leia being some girl named Farah, Milla dressed up as Asbel, Alvin as Kratos, Elize as Mint, and Rowen as some guy named Barbatos.**

**Hey, I know that Jude and Milla's costumes aren't like Leon's or that other costume Milla was intended to wear, but this is how I wanted it to be.**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

"Uh...are you sure I should wear this, Leia?"

"Yes! For the million time, it looks cool and cute for you at the same time!"

"B-but it's embarrassing!" Jude no longer had her ponytail up, and left it flowing at her shoulders, making her look more of a girl. She had a sort of dark light shirt that revealed a portion of her flat chest, dark pants, and white boots. She looked extremely cute and looked like some sort of warrior in the costume.

"No it's not! It's adorable!" For her costume, Leia was wearing an elegant orange dress with red and green trimmings.

"It's revealing!"

"It was this or the school uniform with the mini skirt!"

"..."

"Much better."

"But...this...is still revealing..." complained Jude, pointing to where it was revealing her chest. Apparently, the two girls, along with their other friends, were getting ready to dress up in an inn for Halloween to go trick-or-treating.

"What's going on?" asked Milla as she and Elize approached the two girls. Milla was going as some sort of swordsman-or in this case, swordswoman, wearing a long white covercoat and having her scabbard by her side. Elize was dressed almost like a cute nurse, except the dress was longer.

"Gaaaah! Rowen! I still want to keep my spiky hair spiky!"

"Pipe down, Alvin. For once, it's good to let your hair down like this."

On the other side of one of the two inn rooms they rented, it seemed that Rowen and Alvin were also getting prepared for Halloween, only because Rowen wanted to watch other Elize and the others, and Alvin was forced to drag into it.

"...So, what groups are we doing?" asked Jude, breaking the silence.

"Well, here's what we decided," informed Milla. "It would be me and Alvin, Rowen with Leia, and Elize and you, Jude."

A knock alerted the girls before Jude walked over and opened the door. "Hello?"

Rowen's hair was a bit trimmed and held back in a small ponytail while he wore some sort of sea colored armor, resembling some sort of armored knight. However, since Alvin was younger than he, he looked extremely handsome in his knight/prince-like costume of his.

The moment Jude saw Alvin's costume, her face flushed red and she quickly shut the door in Alvin's face.

"Jude!"

"W-waah! I'm sorry, Leia! I panicked!"

"What's wrong, Jude? Did something scary you?" asked Elize, concerned.

"No! I'm fine!" Jude opened the door again, seeing Alvin rubbing his nose and groaning in pain. "I-I'm so sorry, Alvin!"

"Ow...what was that for, Jude?'

"I'm really, really, sorry!"

"Don't worry, Jude,' assured Rowen. "I'm sure Alvin will be alright."

"Hey! Don't I get a say in this?!"

"No, no you don't."

"Shouldn't we get going? Trick-or-treating started about an hour ago," complained Leia.

"Ah, yes. You're right. Come now, all of you," called Rowen, walking off. As everyone was leaving the room, Jude walked up to Alvin, got on her tip toes, carefully lowered Alvin's hand away from his nose, and started to cast a healing arte on it.

"I'm really, really sorry! This is the least I can make it up to you!"

Alvin chuckled, ruffling her hair and causing her to stop her concentration on the arte. "It's alright. Accidents happen! ...Even if it's people slamming doors in front of other people."

"I'm really, really sorry!"

"Jeez, quit apologizing already! I get it! Man...you make it sound like I'm the bad guy now, despite the fact that you're kinda wearing the bad look now."

"Eep!" Jude crossed her arms in an effort to hide her chest. "W-what are you talking about?!"

"I mean your costume. You...do realize that the costume was from a villain from a play. I think it was...Yuri?"

"O-Oh...never mind then."

Alvin's eyebrow rose in suspicion. "Come on, tell me what you were talking of."

"I-It was nothing! Really!"

Alvin leaned in closer, thankful that his appearance in his Kratos costume was very attractive and making cute little Jude blush red than before. "Come on...don't be shy...is it...what I think it is...?"

Jude frantically shook her head, her face getting hotter and hotter. "No! No! It wasn't my chest! No!"

"...I was actually teasing you, but really? Don't worry, nobody gonna notice your flatness."

The young martial artist felt rage forming inside of her. So, this might be what Leia felt whenever she enjoys a battle, only in this case, Jude herself was angry enough to throw a cow as far as she could with all her might. Then, she remembered something Leia had told her before.

* * *

_Rule #1 on how to avoid perverts! If they approach you too close, always kick them in the nuts! _

* * *

**POW! **Without hesitation, Jude kicked upwards near Alvin's legs as hard as she could, squeezing her eyelids shut as she did so. Alvin coughed and squeaked before collapsing to his knees.

"A-ah! I'm sorry, Alvin!" Saying that, Jude ran off, feeling bad about her decision.

Alvin only groaned, never expecting that blow. He didn't think Jude had it in her to kick her_ there. 'Wow...I suddenly have a new opinion of her now...' _

* * *

_Later... _

"Um...Jude...?" Elize's face was getting more and more red as some boys were surrounding a cringed Jude. After their bags were filled with candy, some boys about her age or a little older walked up to Jude, admiring her warrior-like costume. Heck, some of them started flirting with Jude continuously.

"Nice outfit!"

"Hey, what's your name, cutie?"

"Wanna get out of here and discuss future...activites, hot thing?"

_'Aaah! I don't know what to do with these many guys!' _thought Jude, panicking in a comical way. _'Uh...What was the other rule Leia taught me other than the first one?'_

* * *

_Rule #2 on how to avoid perverts! If there are too many, and no way to escape, call for help! And I'll be there! _

* * *

"W-waah! Elize! Get...Leia!" cried out Jude as she was being cornered by the boys even more. Elize quickly nodded before running at a fast pace, trying to find the energetic teenager before anything bad happens.

While running, Elize was lost in her own thoughts when she bumped into a certain individual and fell to the ground. "Ow!"

"Hey, watch where you're going, pal!" shouted Teepo indigantly.

"Whoa! Sorry, kiddos!" Elize glanced to see Alvin and Milla standing over them, and realized she must have bumped into them.

Elize sighed, knowing full well that Jude needed help and these two might as well help her. "It's Jude! She's being surrounded by lots of boys!"

"They're making looove to her!" teased Teepo, even though both he and Elize had no idea what that was but heard from other people.

"WHAT?!" yelled Alvin.

"How do you 'make love?'" wondered Milla, curious.

"Gh-! Gaaah! Elize, lead the way!" ordered Alvin, scratching his head frantically. Guys going after Jude? On Halloween?! That's it, he was going to put on more careful measures on Jude from now on!

It didn't take very long for them to arrive to where Jude was, who was still being flirted by the other boys. She looked very uncomfortable and itching to get out.

"Should we drive those boys away?" wondered Milla.

Alvin's eye twitched, his hands itching to take out his weapons to beat up the boys. "Yeah...but I've got a better idea..." Alvin took out his gun and shot at the skies, causing everyone to freeze and stare at him.

_'Elize! I said Leia! Not Alvin! He'll make things worst!' _thought Jude, just as shocked as everyone else.

Alvin walked up to the boys and pointed his gun to the nearest gun right near the temple. "Okay, I'm gonna make this clear just this once. I have a gun, an actual one. You heard me shoot one. If you don't step away from her, you know what happens. Be smart. You've got 10 seconds."

In an instant, the area was soon deserted of any boys, leaving only a flustered Jude behind. Elize walked up to her, worried. "Jude? Are you okay?"

Jude nodded, still blushing red. Alvin ran up to her in an instant, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her back and forth. 'Jude! Are you okay?! Did they do something to you?! What happened?! What happened?!"

"Alvin," spoke Milla, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down."

Jude said, "I'm alright. All they did was talk to me. And..."

"What? What is it?"

"I...think one of them touched my...uh...bottom."

A few seconds later, there's a large BANG sound and the sound of screaming pedestrians.

* * *

_Later... _

"Leia? Rowen?"

"Oh! Milla? What are you doing here? Where's Alvin?"

"He's in jail. He tried to shoot at some boys who were admiring Jude and nearly killed them. Elize and Jude are trying to convince the police to set him free and sent me to go find you two."

"..."

"..."

"...WHAT?!"

* * *

**Hahaha! I know this wasn't much Halloween style, but it's different than the other Halloween parts I've read.**


	34. Hypothermia

**Hey guys! While this chapter may seem like rated M, it's not. But, this is pretty hilarious. Thanks, Pikapikaluv for helping me with this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

Jude's shivering teeth gritted together, her arms wrapped around herself as she slowly walked around aimlessly in the snow. Ever since she, and the others were separated from the Fezebel Marsh, Jude found herself stranded in some sort of snowy land near the ocean, half-freezing to death.

"Gotta...find the others...!" the girl gasped, trying to warm herself up as much as she could. Her clothes were completely drenched, head to toe, her face pale and white as snow, and her breath could clearly be seen in the air. If she doesn't hurry up and get to somewhere else, she'll catch hypothermia.

Eventually, she found herself in some sort cavern, filled with icicles and with a cold temperature inside. Deciding not to go back outside where it was snowing, she entered inside, where it was still cold, but a little less colder than being outside.

Throughout her way inside, she saw monsters coming in and out, and luckily, while her brain was still intact, she was able to hide whenever she could. A while later, when she thought she was safe, Jude was tackled to the ground by some sort of monster with sharp jaws.

As the monster was getting ready to bite down, Jude's breath lessen, and she let out a soft sigh, her eyes dimming of any light as her vision slowly began to fade into white. Was she about to die? Even if the first blow somehow didn't kill her, the hypothermia would.

Just then, some sort of blade plunged into the monster's back, killing it instantly before falling to its side, dead. Jude couldn't see clearly who it was, but whoever it was, he or she was carrying her in their arms, and...running?

* * *

Alvin panted on as he tried to get the unconscious and freezing Jude back to his camp. Before, he had met some spirit named Muzet, and had met up with Elize later on, so he decided that they should make camp in the cave. Afterwards, Alvin decided to go look for the others and told Elize and Muzet to stay put. That was when he found Jude, about to be killed by a monster.

Out of anger, he stabbed the monster without hesitation before scooping up the girl in his arms. Luckily, she was still alive, but barely, and she was really cold and white in the face. He could hear her soft breathing, watching her nuzzle her face into his warm coat and scarf.

Everything happened in a blur when he finally arrived back at camp. Looking back, he remembered telling Muzet to make a fire, and Elize to help heal Jude, who only had minor injuries, thank God.

A few minutes after the fire started, some color began to appear back in Jude's face, making everyone sigh in relief. Alvin placed a hand on Jude's glove before realizing that along with it, the rest of her clothes were wet. This was bad. If one's clothes were wet, they'd get sick, and Jude already has hypothermia.

"Um...Elize? You think you can gather more rocks? We might need more...flint for the fire," requested Alvin, his cheeks tinted pink at the thought of what he was going to do.

"Hmm?" The girl tilted her head, confused. "But what about spirit artes? We can just use that."

"...Flint is more effective than spirit artes, alright? Trust me, I'm an expert on this." Technically, Alvin was sorta lying. A little.

"Okay..." Awkwardly, Elize grabbed Teepo and walked away.

Once she was out of sight, Alvin carefully started to take off Jude's drenched clothes, one by one. He unzipped her jacket and took off her boots, placing them to the side before glancing at Jude's sleeping body. All that was left was her gloves, a button-up white shirt, and her pants.

Yeah...there was definitely going to be a story when Jude wakes up. Hopefully, she won't tell Leia or Rowen._ Hopefully. _

"Just what are you doing?" questioned Muzet, floating over Alvin's shoulder. Alvin yelped in surprise, staring at the spirit. He had almost forgotten about her!

"Jeez! You scared the crap outta me, Muzet!"

"My apologies. Are you perhaps...undressing her?" Muzet giggled before her face turned into a mischevious one. "You are such a naughty boy, Alvin!~"

"D-Don't get the wrong idea! It's not like I want to! It's just...having wet clothes make you sick, and-and-!"

Muzet laughed lightly, interrupting Alvin. "Don't worry, I was only joking. Yes, I do know what you mean. I did read about this in a book of medicine before. Therefore, why not let me remove her clothing?"

Alvin took a moment to consider the situation.

Alvin removing Jude's clothes: FAIL.

Muzet, a GIRL, removing Jude's clothes: Makes sense.

"WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT EARLIER?!" he shouted, hands clutching the sides of his head in frustration. Muzet just floated by, confused by Alvin's actions.

"Is something the matt-"

"Here!" The mercenary quickly took off his coat and scarf, handing them to Muzet, too ashamed to look at her or Jude. "W-when you're done removing all her wet clothes, just put these on her!"

"Okay!"

A few minutes later, Muzet tapped Alvin's shoulder, causing him to turn around and see Jude's unconscious form laying against the wall. Like Alvin ordered her to do, Muzet removed all of Jude's wet clothing, but left her in her undergarments, and Alvin's large coat and scarf covered her nicely, which meant that the only skin showering was her cold feet.

"Um...nice job, Muzet," praised Alvin, still embarrassed about the fact that he kinda removed Jude's clothes before Muzet took over. He crawled towards Jude and started rubbing her feet, trying to help her regain heat as a curious Muzet watched.

Eventually, Jude woke up, and the first thing she saw was some sort of flying lady with wings and an elegant dress...and also Alvin rubbing her feet. Speaking of which, what happened to his coat and jacket?

It didn't take even a minute to make Jude realize the state she was in.

"AAAAHH!" **SLAP! **

"OW!" Alvin fell on his back before cradling his cheek. "What was that for?!"

Jude simply glared at the older man, curling the jacket and scarf closer to her body. Muzet giggled at the scene before her. "Oh, Alvin...trying to sexual harrass this young lady while she was sleeping? Shame on you, especially when you yourself removed her clothes."

"WHAT?!"

"N-now hold on, Jude!" Alvin turned to glare at the spirit. "Hey! You were part of that too!"

"Yes, but you removed her jacket and boots, and were so close to taking off...the rest of her clothes, and, stare at her_ underwear_..."

"A-Alvin! You jerk!" Taking out an arm from the jacket she was cuddling in, Jude began throwing rocks at the mercenary, who tried to block with his arms. "Idiot! Pervert! Moron! Baka! Baka! Baka! BAAAAKKKAAAA!"

"Gah! Ow! Ooh! Ouch! Jude!" Fed up, Alvin crawled back to Jude and grabbed hold of her wrist, causing her to stop throwing rocks and struggle. However, compared to Alvin's strength and her own, Jude was completely outmatched.

Then, Alvin and Muzet explained everything that had happened, with Muzet apologizing that she was the one that did remove her clothing, but added that Alvin wanted to remove her underwear. That resulted in Alvin denying it, which was true, but after seeing her state, and Alvin rubbing her feet, Jude believed Muzet and comically started hitting Alvin in the head with her small fists.

"Pow Hammer!" A hammer magically appeared out of nowhere and hit Alvin in the head, hard enough for him to let go and fall on his back. Suddenly, his face was gobbled up by something, causing his sounds to be muffled as he tried to get the 'something' off of him.

"Back away, pervert! Hands off of Jude!" cried out Elize, arriving to the scene and watching as Teepo was gobbling Alvin's face.

"E-Elize! That's enough! Really, he didn't mean any harm!" defended Jude.

"Well...if you say so..." Elize watched as Teepo remove himself from Alvin's face, making the man gasp for breath over what just happen.

"Someday...I'm gonna get you, Teepo...and your little master too...!"

"Gaaah! He's gonna eat me!" screamed Teepo, hiding behind Elize.

"No matter what, Alvin deserved that," said Elize. "Just what were you doing, Alvin? I saw you, getting in close with Jude, and her clothes were scattered all over the place!"

"Um...that's..." Alvin scotches away from the girls, hiding his flustered face with his hands as Muzet and Jude explained.

Elize turned to Muzet and asked, 'If that's the case, why didn't you dry Jude's clothes with some wind and fire artes?"

Alvin and Jude also stared at Muzet, wondering the same thing.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Yeah, so why?"

"...Oops?"

"OOPS?!" both Jude and Alvin exclaimed.

* * *

_Later, after Jude's clothes were dried, and she was fully dressed... _

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...So...yeah..." spoke up Alvin, who was already a distance away from Jude. "You okay?"

Jude nodded, then suggested, "We should get some sleep. Since, you have the um...coat, how about we all sleep together while being close to you?"

"H-huh?" That caught Alvin's attention, as he listed all the naughty things wrong there. But at the same time, he didn't want Elize or Jude cold, so he agreed.

Muzet said, "Ooh! A sleepover? Can I join in-"

"NO."

The spirit pouted. "Fine! Then I'll take the first shift and watch out for any monsters." Still pouting, the spirit flew away.

Alvin walked towards Jude and sat besides her, half-taking off his coat. But, before he could wrap an arm around her, Elize scotched in between them with Teepo. "I wanna be in the middle, because it's SOOO warm!" Actually, Elize and Teepo were giving Alvin death glares as to what might happen if he did something wrong to poor, naive Jude.

Jude smiled happily. "Okay!~" Gently, she wrapped her arms around Elize and Teepo, who cuddled besides Alvin. Being the gentleman he is, Alvin wrapped an arm around both of them, providing warmth for both of them as they drifted off to sleep.

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**KAWAII!~ In this version, Muzet finds Alvin, not Jude. I wanted to make this for a long while now, but next chapter will be more funny! Read and review!**


	35. Direct-Tethering

**This is it, folks! The skit/chapter you've been waiting for! Also, thank you YuGiOh-Lover25 for helping me out!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

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"I have you to thank for saving Jude," Milla thanked Muzet, who had practically tied herself to Jude's side, hovering around her, placing a hand on her shoulder. A while after Jude had recovered, her group set out, and met with Milla, Leia, and Rowen near some temple.

"Not at all. Jude was quite the help to me. Thanks to her direct-tethering with me, I was able to recharge much of my lost mana," Muzet stated, smiling slyly. Mill's eyes widened as a small blush formed on her face.

"Jude! You direct-tethered with her?!" Milla exclaimed, looking at Jude in disbelief. Jude and Alvin, who was nearby and listening to their conversation, blinked in confusion.

"Uh, yeah. Muzet asked me too. Was that bad?"

"'B-bad?' It's uh...Direct-tethering is something a spirit and a human do when..." Milla tried to explain before she was too embarrassed to continue. Jude remained oblivious and confused, but Alvin had figured it out.

Straight after his shock, he was overcome with the feelings of rage and jealousy. Jude's 'first' had technically been with Muzet?! Of all people?! A GIRL?!

"Since we were together constantly, she was able to fill me up with loads of mana," continued Muzet in a teasing tone.

"I-I had no idea you were into that sort of thing!" gasped Milla before running off, still red-faced.

"Milla, wait!" called out Jude, trying to reach for her, even though it was too late. "Why is she so angry? What was she about to say?" The girl turned to Muzet, who was blushing and holding her face in her hands.

"My! I can't believe you'd ask me to tell you that! Is that the kind of girl you are? Is that what you're into?" Muzet asked, hovering around Jude seductively.

"I don't understand these spirits at all..." she sighed in defeat as Alvin growled under his breath, seeing all the touches Muzet was doing with her hands on Jude's shoulders, neck, and face. Just when did Muzet had the time and place to do 'it' to Jude?!

"Kya!~ Jude, you are so cute when you're like this!~" squealed Muzet, hugging the smaller girl and bringing her face close to her chest.

Trying to control himself and not blast Muzet away, Alvin slowly approached Jude, teeth gritting, and his eyes were twitching. "Jude."

"Hmm?" Jude gently pulled away from Muzet, who was still embracing her, to face her mercenary friend. 'Oh, Alvin? What is it?"

"That whole direct-tethering thing...did you seriously do...it, with Muzet?"

As Muzet quietly snickered, Jude tilted her head, confused. "I did direct-tethering with her, but I'm not sure what you mean?"

Ok, this was getting more and more awkward for Alvin as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, did you do the deed with her?"

"What deed? I didn't sign any paper."

That comment caused Alvin to groan and facepalm. Just how, HOW oblivious, yet cute, was Jude? "Okay, I'm going to make this simple so you can understand, Jude. Did. You. Sleep. With. Her?"

"During direct-tethering? No, I think I would have remembered sleeping next to Muzet," replied Jude.

_'GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!' _Alvin mentally screamed in his inner mind as he kept his cheek grin on his face.

Muzet seemed to have guessed what he was guessing, despite the expression on his face, but she stopped embracing Jude for a moment to examine Alvin before turning to her tethering friend. "Jude, I think Alvin here wants to direct-tether with you."

"WHAT?! Nononononono!" Alvin shook his head frantically, his face blushing. _'She's way too young anyways! I never planned for that to happen!' _he thought, blood rushing to his head at a fast pace.

"Hmm? You mean, share mana? Well, Alvin's been working hard, so he must have lost a lot of mana," murmured Jude, not knowing Alvin's secret. She looked up to Alvin. "Okay, then I'll direct-tether with Alvin!"

_'Damn you, Muzet! Damn you for corrupting her sweet, innocent mind!' _Alvin cursed, his face turning more red. "No! It's fine! I'm fine! My uh...mana's great!"

Jude pouted, which Alvin found cute, and she grabbed Alvin's arm. "Don't lie, Alvin! You can't lie your way out of this one! We're direct-tethering, whether you like it or not!"

It was times like this that Alvin wished he wasn't such a good liar.

"Um...Muzet? How do you direct-tether?" Jude asked innocently, almost making Alvin faint.

Muzet chuckled. "Why not ask Milla? She's clearly the expert! Then again, direct-tethering doesn't exactly work on other humans, only spirits and humans together."

"Oh..." Jude looked down, but reverted back to Alvin. "Sorry, Alvin..."

"No, no! It's fine!" Alvin took a moment to glare at Muzet, but she was already flying away. _'I will get you, Muzet! Someday!' _

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**Hahahaha! Didn't expect that, huh? Thanks, Mr. AE Hachi-Roku and Silius1 for helping me with this chapter! Any other ideas before we get to before Milla's death, or events in the Zenethra?**


	36. Confession

**I just couldn't resist!~ This is one of my favorite chapters, and the one scene you've all been waiting for like the other chapters!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs. **

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"T-This is it. I-I...I'm going h-home to Elympios."

Alvin's voice was firm, but shaky, just like his gun when he was pointing directly at Jude. All he had to do, was pull the trigger, just one last shot, possibly the last time he would kill, and he would return home to Elympios. Muzet promised him he would if he killed both Leia and Jude. Leia was done, so all that's left was Jude.

So why, why was it so goddamn hard to shoot her?!

"..." Jude remained silent, sitting on the ground, beaten and out of breath. She still had strength to move and all, but anymore movements, and Alvin will shoot her dead in the face. Well, it's not like her actions are going to do much since he's probably going to kill her anyways.

After witnessing Alvin shoot Leia, Jude was in a state of shock, but only for a short moment. Afterwards, out of rage and hurt, she began fighting Alvin, her mind screaming, _'Get away from Leia!' _Her thoughts kept repeating themselves with each punch she managed to hit towards Alvin. However, in the end, their strengths were too obvious. Alvin clearly had more fighting experience than her, and sooner of later, he defeated her, using only half his strength to.

Jude couldn't tell if Leia had survived the bullet or not, but that probably didn't matter now. If she had died here, Leia would have died from the bullet and out of blood loss. Despite that, Jude didn't have the heart to blame Alvin for this.

No matter how much his finger twitched to pull the trigger, Alvin just couldn't shoot her. Every time he tried to, happy memories of the times he spent with her would pop up, as if preventing him from killing her.

The thought of even shooting her infuriated him even more.

Growling, Alvin let his anger out by kicking Jude straight in chin as hard as possible, making her fly and crash down on the earth. Jude grunted and was laying on the dirt, placing a hand on her injured side. She could taste blood inside her mouth, but swallowed the metal taste and looked away, a bit shameful to even look at her soon-to-be killer.

Gritting his teeth at the sight of her still alive, Alvin murmured angrily, "Typical kid. How can you be so eager to just roll over and give up?! Sometimes you make me wanna puke, you know that?!"

Though she knew it wasn't intentional, Jude sat up, angry at the somewhat taunt Alvin said to her. "What else do you expect?! Now that Milla's gone!" she argued back, tears forming at the corner of her eyes. "Tell me what I'm supposed to do!"

Alvin wasn't angry at her for being upset, but more angry at himself for not knowing what to say to her. That caused him to release more of his anger towards her. "You think you're the only one who's lost?!" he demanded, before taking a deep breath and falling to his knees, his arms slumped, and his gun forgotten.

"We let her sacrifice her life for us," he continued, stating the truth. Right now, he had forgotten his anger, and sounded more guilty and sorrowful.

"..." Jude finally managed to calm herself down and muttered quietly, "She died because she wanted us to live. She didn't die so we would...end up doing this..."

"Then, what the hell should we be doing?!" yelled Alvin, startling Jude with his sudden loud and sharp tone. "I'm not Milla! I can't live like her! And I don't have a mission to fufill!"

Jude had to keep her composure together before answering to Alvin. "Milla's...Milla's not here to hold our hands anymore! We have to think for ourselves!"

That's it. Alvin really wanted to punch her in the face, but held himself and grabbed her by the collar, pulling her close to his seething face. "How do we do that?!"

"No one will make our decisions for us!" she shouted, pushing him back with all her strength. Surprisingly, either using her strength worked, or Alvin let himself be pushed. Still, she continued, "And...And no one...no one will take responsibility for our actions anymore.

Alvin let a small gasp escape his lips. Responsibility? He's always been responsible for many things since he was just a kid. He had to kill, trick, and lie just to get this far. To get back home. He never thought once back on his actions, so why, for the first time, why was he thinking his crimes back now?

"Even if Milla's mission was all just a big lie," said Jude, bringing the mercenary's attention back. "The truth is, she still put her life on the line to fufill it. It's not a matter of if you can or can't. It's a matter of whether you do or don't."

Those words were simple and so meaningful, even someone as stubborn and depressed as Alvin could understand it. That was one of the things he admired about Jude. She was always the smart, little, cute, adorable honors student he knew throughout this whole journey. She always knew what to say, but...

This time, he wished she didn't know the answer.

"Why...? Tell me, damnit!" Clenching his fists, Alvin grabbed his gun, stood up quickly, and pointed it at Jude, who had a shocked expression on her face. "WHY?! WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE THE ANSWER?!" he practically screamed. He was fighting inside, wanting to kill her, but at the same time, not wanting to. If he killed her, he'd go home. But if he did, it would be...lonely.

Jude looked down at the ground, at her legs, anything besides Alvin's pitiful face. She held back a sob as tears began dripping down her face. So, this was it. Alvin was going to kill her, then go to Elympios, get married, have kids, and forget all about her and the others. She couldn't blame him after all the suffering he's been through. Anyone who had such a bad childhood, and forced to do things for their mother, wouldn't hesitate to shoot and kill in this situation.

Even so, even if he killed her, even though she loves him, even now, she just wants him to have a happy life ahead.

Then, Alvin dropped his gun unceremoniously and collapsed to his knees, a look of dreadfulness and horror in his face. He just...couldn't shoot her. He admit, he didn't aim for Leia. He just...he had no idea why he was after Jude first, then Leia second. Maybe he just wanted to escape his love of her forever, so he wanted to kill her first.

Whatever the reason, he was too deeply in love of Jude to even think of killing her.

"Al...vin?" Jude hesitated before coming a little closer to the older man. Suddenly, he embraced her tightly, making her yelp in surprise. Alvin didn't ever want to let go of her, even if the world was collapsing to the end. Jude laid her head on his shoulder, hugging him back, and feeling his warmth in her cold and battered body.

"Jude." Just hearing her name coming from her crush's voice made Jude blush and her heart flutter and beat faster. "I...I know I can't make this up by simply apologizing. But, even so, I'm sorry, for everything. I'm sorry for hurting you, for hurting Leia, for betraying everyone, I'm just, sorry." Alvin pulled back, placing his hands on her shoulders. Jude could see guilt, sadness, and...love in his eyes. "I'm sorry, but if you can, please don't hate me for doing this."

Then, Alvin bent down and kissed Jude softly, right on the lips.

Jude let a small squeak escape from her lips, and her body squirmed around as her face turned red. Alvin noticed and tightened his grip on her,continuing to kiss her harshly, but as gently as possible. After calming down, Jude relaxed and began to feel comfortable and joyful of kissing Alvin.

Alvin teased her by licking her lips while kissing her, earning a gasp from the girl when he learned the flavor of her lips. Creamy strawberry, the perfect flavor for a cute girl like her. He began his advance by slipping his tongue inside her mouth, exploring her sweet caverns with every delight.

The young girl couldn't help but let out a small moan as the mercenary's tongue explored more and more. His tongue was much bigger than hers, and tasted good, in a weird way. Unfortunately, she was running out of breath, and she pushed back Alvin, breaking their kiss and forming a small bridge of saliva between their lips before it broke.

Seeing her panting, and thinking that he had hurt her, Alvin felt guilty as he picked up his gun and stood up before turning away. He knew full well that was her first kiss, and he just stole it. She deserved someone so much better than him.

"Jude...I...I'm sorry." With that said, Alvin left, a little bit satisfied by the kiss, but mostly just depressed. He had no more will to even think of killing her.

Regaining herself, Jude looked around, and saw Alvin leaving farther and farther away. She knew he was too far to hear her, but she spoke to herself anyways. "Alvin, I love you too."

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**KYA!~ SO CUTE!~ I choose the ending where Alvin wins, because it makes much more sense and more memorable than the one where Jude wins! Since I just completed everyone's long lost dream of them kissing, there's still more where that came from! We haven't even gone to the Rated M chapters, but they'll come up real soon! Read and review!**


	37. Making Up

**I know what you guys were thinking, and I've been pondering on what might occur after Jude and Alvin's little kiss! Yay! Thanks Kagehime-sama53 for giving me an idea for this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

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Alvin sighed, placing his gloved hand on his forehead as if he received some sort of headache. He swung a little in his swing set chair that was obiviously for little kids, but no one was around for the night, so who cares?

After talking with Elize, he began wondering things about himself. Ever since he was young, he's learned never to trust adults, especially his deceased uncle, who's always treated him and his mother badly. He had to survive to get back to Elympios, which he was now, but he had a mission, and two worlds to accomplish.

Moreover, ever since he reunited back with the group, he's been avoiding Jude since he knew he had hurt her badly, both physically and emotionally. The mercenary knew that Jude kept trying to talk to him, but every time he saw her face, he couldn't help but think back of the events the last time he saw her, and how he was going to kill her.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around his neck tightly, causing Alvin to stand up quickly and try to pry the arms away. "Gah! Who's there?!"

"A-Alvin! Calm down! It's me!" cried out Jude, still clinging onto his neck. It was taking every single ounce of her strength not to be pulled away by the stronger man.

After recognizing her voice, that caused Alvin to panic more and more, making him want to put her down and run off somewhere again, even though he didn't want to. He knew deep down, Jude was just getting more hurt by him running away, and it pained him every time.

Alvin then heard sniffing coming from Jude, and it wasn't the kind of sniffing for smell, it was the sort when someone starts to cry. He couldn't see Jude, given that she was behind him and still clinging onto him, but he could tell she was crying.

He stopped thrashing about and calmed down, glancing at the ground as if he was ashamed to see her. "Jude...what's wrong?"

"It's...*sniff* It's just that...that you wouldn't look or talk to me anymore, and I'm so sad!" Jude began sobbing into Alvin's shoulder, her cries being muffled by the coat.

Alvin felt more and more guilt surging up inside before he decided to sit down on the grass, indicating he wasn't going to struggle any longer. "Jude-"

"Gotcha!" Jude stood up and raced in front of Alvin, poking him by the button nose gently. She seemed to be completely fine, and no signs of tears were seen on her face.

Alvin was completely stunned and baffled. Jude, the most kind-hearted, nicest, forgiving, and cutest girl he knew, FAKE CRIED AND TRICKED HIM?! If this was a dream, and he hoped it was, it was more like a nightmare!

"Y-you tricked me!" shouted Alvin, pointing to Jude, more shocked than angry.

"Mmm hmm! Yup!"

"But that's impossible! Who taught you that?!"

"You did."

Alvin mentally hit himself in the head. Since their early adventures, Alvin had noticed that Jude was gaining a lot of attention from other boys her age or older, always trying to get close. Truth be told, he was actually infuriated with that, and one time, he nearly got arrested for almost shooting some boys who were trying to flirt with little, oblivious Jude.

Soon, Milla and Leia got the idea of using Jude for a little bit of bait, only for emergencies and as a last resort. Sad to say, Alvin actually agreed with it, only because there was this one time he wanted to see Jude in a maid uniform when they tried to infiltrate Nachitgal's palace to sneak in, and after all the acting classes he gave her, it was well worth it. Also, he probably did deserve this.

"..." Jude was silent, twiddling her fingers and scrapping the sole of her boot against the grass. "I...I'm sorry for tricking you, Alvin. But I just had to get your attention somehow. I...really did meant that when I was sad you wouldn't talk to me anymore. Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no. It's...it's not your fault," sighed Alvin, sitting up straight. "I thought you were mad at me because I...I kissed you."

Jude's face flustered, remembering that sweet memory. "O-Oh. But I wasn't angry. I actually enjoyed that."

Alvin felt relief in his heart, but he shook his head. If this continued, he might never forgive himself. "No, I...You can't enjoy that. You couldn't have. Just...please, say that you didn't enjoy it, or that you hated me for it."

For a while, ever since their kiss, Jude kept falling in love with Alvin over and over again, her thoughts constantly about him. She loved the taste and texture of their kiss, so she came to realize her own feelings for him. Yet every time he betrayed them, AND her, it was like a million knives stabbed her each time. She couldn't help but forgive him.

Now, the mercenary in front of her was denying her feelings, trying to talk her out of it and trying to get her to hate him. She would refuse of course, but she was angry and upset and hurt that he didn't even consider her feelings right now.

"No!" Jude practically screamed, looking down at Alvin. She stumbled back, then fell to her knees, as if the strings holding a puppet had gone loose. "Don't say that!" she pleaded, grabbing Alvin by the arms and tugging on them. "Please, don't change my mind! You can't!" Sobs whimpered out of her throat, and tears were already falling down like a waterfall. "I did enjoy the kiss! I really did! Alvin, I really love you!"

Shock was registed into Alvin's mind. He didn't expect Jude to break down like this and confess her love for him. Seeing Jude like this made him angry at himself and made him want to punch or even shoot himself as punishment. He didn't want Jude to ever be or look like this because of him or any other reason.

Less than a second, Alvin drew Jude into his arms, pulling her trembling, fragile frame into his well-toned chest. He could heard real muffled cries and soft banging against his chest as Jude kept hitting him over and over, repeatedly stating she loves him.

After finally calming down, Jude pulled her head away from Alvin's chest, but she was still, and weakly, punching him in the chest, only not as hard as before. She still had her head down, unable to meet Alvin's eyes. "Alvin...do you still hate me?"

"Huh?"

"Back at Hamil, you said..."

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_Flashback..._

_"Why...? Tell me, damnit!" Clenching his fists, Alvin grabbed his gun, stood up quickly, and pointed it at Jude, who had a shocked expression on her face. "WHY?! WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE THE ANSWER?!" he practically screamed. _

* * *

Recalling that memory, Alvin felt like allowing Rowen to go stab him in the manhood, like the old man swore to do if he ever hurted Jude, which he had done.

Shaking his head, Alvin pulled back and gently grasped Jude's cheek, lifting up her face so that he could see her face. Her face was completely red due to embarrassment and the tears she had cried out, making it a complete, but adorable mess for her face.

"Jude, I don't hate you, and I never will. Back then, I was just frustrated and all, but then again, that doesn't give me an excuse to treat you like that." Alvin looked deeply into her eyes, and felt guilty of the sorrow in them. "I'm sorry. I'll try to make it up to you, but I will never hate you."

Leaning down, Alvin claimed her soft lips with his rough ones, expertly moving her lips with his own. Jude gladly accepted the sweet kiss and mewled softly, enjoying the treatment Alvin was giving her. He grasped the back of her head and pushed it closer, bringing their kiss closer as well. Soon, their tongues began to mingle with each other, fighting for dominance.

Jude tried to pull away for air, but Alvin seemed to have locked their lips together and was enjoying this too much. He finally won their little tongue match and was exploring her wet caverns, earning lots of moans and cute mewls from Jude.

Soon, Alvin noticed that Jude wasn't giving into the kiss like before. Jude then just slumped over and fell into Alvin's lap. Panicking, Alvin started shaking Jude's shoulders and pressed his head near her chest to hear her heartbeat. Luckily, it was still beating, so she must have fainted because of lack of air. Next time they kiss, he'll make sure that Jude gets plenty of air.

Just when things couldn't get much worse, they did when Elize and Teepo arrived.

"Teepo! Oh no! Alvin killed Jude!"

"You bastard! Elize, let's hurry and get Leia and Rowen! They'll definitely take care of mean old Alvin!"

"Yeah!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Scooping up the fainted Jude in his arms, he started chasing after them, joining in a chase to stop two ignorant little kids from telling on two other familiar people so that they could kill him.

_'I swear, Jude's like some sort of cute rainbow pony baby that they all want to protect,' _thought Alvin, sweatdropping as he gave chase.

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**Yeah! So, any ideas for new chapters before I get to the Rated M ones? Read and review!**


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